


Belle Femme

by CMeWrite



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Drama, F/F, Humor, Prostitution, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-08 21:31:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 53,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8862859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMeWrite/pseuds/CMeWrite
Summary: She walked off of the street, into her life and stole her heart. This is a Cophine version of the film Pretty Woman.





	1. Miss Direction

“Marion, have you seen Cosima? Everyone is asking for her and, as usual, she’s nowhere to be found.”

“Sorry, Aldous, I haven’t seen her in quite a while. Did you check the library? She was inquiring about your book collection earlier.”

“Ah, yes, that sounds like somewhere Cosima would hide out. l’ll check. Thank you,” he gives her a kiss on the cheek before continuing his search, making small talk and excuses for Cosima’s absence as he bumps into guests on his way through the first floor of his new Hollywood Hills mansion.

Once Aldous reaches the library, he pulls open the door, finding the object of his quest. “Cosima, what are you doing in here? Everybody wants to talk to you.”

Cosima is standing with her back to him as she scans the selection of rare books, “I told you, I hate mingling.”

“Cosima, we are about to make a $750 million distribution deal on the cancer drug you developed and you can’t be bothered to make a little small talk with our investors and board members?”

Finally, Cosima turns towards him, she’s wearing a black, form-fitting cocktail dress, her dreads piled in a bun atop her head, a glass of red wine clutched in her left hand, “Nope.”

“Cosima, please,” he groans in frustration.

“You’re the mouthpiece, Leekie, you make the deals, I do the science, that’s what’s worked for the last seven years, why change now?” Cosima moves through the room, handing him her wine glass as she passes him on her way out the door. “I have a headache, I’m going back to my hotel.”

“Please just stay a little while longer,” Aldous begs, trailing after her as she walks through the house, offering tiny waves to everyone trying to get her attention. She collects her red coat from the coat check, opens the front door, and walks towards the driveway. “Cosima, your limo is completely blocked in, just stay another hour,” he tries to bargain with her.

Cosima turns, looking him dead in the eye, “I’ll be at the office tomorrow morning, but, right now, I need to get some sleep.”

Leekie takes a deep breath and nods, “Fine, but please don’t be late. It’s an important meeting.”

“I know, I know. I’ll try my best to be on time. That’s your car, isn’t it?” Cosima asks as she points to the sports car at the top of the driveway.

“Yes, that’s the fully-restored classic 1989 Lotus Esprit Turbo SE I acquired at auction last month,” Leekie answers proudly.

“I’m taking it.”

“What? Do you even know how to drive?”

“Kinda.” Cosima walks over to the valet, “Keys to the Lotus please.” The valet looks to Leekie, who nods begrudgingly. The valet hands her the key. “Later, Leekie,” Cosima shouts as she opens the car door and gets in, adjusting the seat way up. She turns the key in the ignition and the car revs to life, then sputters onto the street as she tries to figure out how the hell the clutch works.

Leekie drops his head in his hands as he watches his prized possession bounce up the block, “I’m really going to miss that car.”

In an old building in Hollywood, desperately in need of a fresh coat of paint, a dark-haired women around 50-years-old hikes up three flights of stairs and stomps down the dark hallway, stopping at apartment 324. She bangs her fist on the door, “Delphine, if you don’t want to be evicted, I strongly advise you to pay your rent ASAP.”

“Merde!” Delphine grumbles while standing in the bathroom applying her makeup.

“I know you’re in there.”

“Sorry, Mrs. S, I’m a bit under the weather,” Delphine fake coughs. “Didn’t Sarah give you the rent this morning?”

“No, chicken, she didn’t.”

Delphine lifts the cover to the toilet bowl tank and pulls out a soap box. She pops the top and finds it empty. “Dammit, Sarah,” she curses lowly. “She’ll be back later tonight, I’m sure she’ll drop it off then.”

“She better,” S responds with disdain before bounding back down the hall.

Delphine looks herself over in the mirror, she’s wearing a white tank top with a black bra peeking though, a tight, black mini skirt, and thigh high black leather boots. She throws on a black and white newsboy cap over her brown bob, grabs her purse, and opens the door. She pauses when she hears Mrs. S yelling at her downstairs neighbor. Wanting to avoid a lecture, Delphine closes the door, turns around and goes to the back window, climbing out onto the fire escape and making her way down to the street.

Delphine walks swiftly along Hollywood Boulevard, stopping at Bobby’s Bar. “Bobby, have you seen Sarah?” she asks the blonde, bespectacled bartender upon entering the darkly lit establishment.

Bobby points towards the stairs, “She’s up there.”

“Thanks.” Arriving at the upstairs lounge, Delphine quickly zeroes in on her target. She stalks over angrily, “What did you do with our rent money?”

“Hey, Frenchie, calm your tits.”

“Don’t tell me to calm my tits, you said you’d pay Mrs. S this morning and, yet, she was just at our door threatening to evict us.”

“Chill out, I had to loan the money to Vic to pay Pouchy back for the coke he stole. He said he’d give it back soon.”

“Seriously, Sarah? We’re going to rely on your drug dealing boyfriend to give us back our rent money? We’ll be kicked out by the time that happens. What were you thinking?”

“Look, he’s good for it, he already has some deals lined up. It’ll be fine, I’ll talk to S, smooth things over for a few days. You know she’s got a soft spot for me.”

“I’m pretty sure all her soft spots for you have hardened by now. Are you just going to sit around here drinking all night or are you going to work?”

“I was just taking a little break.” Sarah pounds back the glass of bourbon in her hands and slams the glass down on the table, “Let’s hit the streets.”

Delphine and Sarah leave the bar and head down to the corner of Hollywood and McCadden.

“Excuse me, Rachel, what do you think you’re doing here?” Sarah barks at the girl standing on the corner.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m working,” the fellow Brit responds bitterly.

“Go work somewhere else. Charlie Chaplin to Milton Berle is our territory,” Sarah snarls, pointing to the stars on the sidewalk. “Why don’t you make your way down to Dean Martin? I hear blokes there will pay you five bucks if you flash ‘em your tits.” She glances down at Rachel’s chest, “Eh, maybe $2.50 for those.”

“Fuck off, Sarah,” Rachel gives her the finger and storms off.

“I hate that pretentious bitch,” Sarah remarks as Rachel is barely out of earshot. She looks up at Delphine, who is not amused. “Look, Frenchie, I’m sorry, okay? I’ll get the money back.”

“It’s not just that.”

“What else has got you so frowny?”

“This,” Delphine gestures around, “all of this. This is not how I envisioned my life when I came to America.”

“No shit, me either. I thought I’d be a fuckin’ rock star by now, but we do what we gotta do to survive. It won’t be forever. Chin up, okay?” Delphine nods as a car draws Sarah’s attention away from her, “Holy shite, look at that thing.”

Delphine follows Sarah’s line of sight, “Mon dieu, that’s a Lotus Esprit!”

“Uh, yeah, you call it that, I call it rent. I’ll let you take this one.” Sarah gives her a little push towards the car, which has come to a stop on the side of the road, “Go get ‘em, Frenchie.”

Delphine adjusts her skirt and prances over to the passenger side window, which rolls down as she approaches. She leans down to look in the window, surprised to find a woman in the driver’s seat.

“Hi there,” Cosima offers her a little wave, “I’m a little lost, do you happen to know the way to Beverly Hills?”

“Yes.”

“Great, can you tell me how to get there?”

“Yes.”

Cosima stares at her expectantly, “Okay, so how do I get there?”

Delphine holds out her hand, “Ten dollars.”

“What? You can’t charge me for directions.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Do you make the laws around here?”

“No.”

“Then it’ll be ten dollars.”

“For real?” Delphine doesn’t budge. “Ugh, fine.” Cosima pulls a bill out of her wallet, “Do you have change for a twenty?”

Delphine grabs the money, “No, but for twenty I’ll be your tour guide.” She opens the passenger door and gets in.

“Excuse me, what are you doing?”

“I am personally going to direct you to Beverly Hills.”

“Um, okay, I don’t remember inviting you in my car, but if you’re going to guide me to Beverly Hills, how do you expect to get back to wherever the hell we are right now?”

“This is Hollywood and I’ll take the bus back.” Cosima stares at her. “You know, those really long vehicles that traverse city streets,” Delphine clarifies.

“I know what a bus is. You really want to ride to Beverly Hills with me and then take the bus back here for twenty bucks?”

“Well, it’ll be about $17.50 after the bus, but, yeah, why not? This car is incroyable!” Delphine looks around the vehicle in awe, running her hands over the soft leather seats.

“Alrighty then,” Cosima laughs, “I guess I have a co-pilot.”

“Where in Beverly Hills are you headed?” Delphine asks as she fastens her seat belt.

“The Beverly Wilshire Hotel.”

“Okay, you’re going to want to take a left at the second light,” Delphine instructs.

Cosima pulls away from curb, the car sputtering under her poor driving skills once again.

“This isn’t your car, is it?”

“Nope,” Cosima shakes her head, “I stole it.”

“You stole it?” Delphine asks incredulously

“Hold up, are you seriously judging me for stealing a car? That’s funny considering your line of work.”

“My line of work? What is that supposed to mean?” Delphine asks, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Um, you know, lady of the night.”

“Pardon me? I’ll have you know that I am a kindergarten teacher,” Delphine responds angrily.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I just kinda assumed. I mean the way you walked over to my car and the way you’re dressed.”

“What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?”

“Nothing, it’s just, that’s a really short skirt, not that there’s anything wrong with short skirts, they usually just aren’t that short. Fuck, I’m sorry,” Cosima hangs her head in shame and Delphine starts laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“I was totally screwing with you. I am, how did you say it? A lady of the night.”

“Damn, lady, that wasn’t very nice of you. I felt like a total bitch for insulting you like that.”

“I know, that was priceless,” Delphine giggles.

“Unlike this guided tour,” Cosima remarks.

“Touché. It’s Delphine, by the way.”

“What is?”

“My name.”

“Oh, nice, I’m Cosima”

“Cosima,” Delphine repeats. “Enchantée”

“Enchantée,” Cosima mimics with a grin. “Okay, so confession, maybe stole was the wrong word, it’s more like I borrowed this car from a very unhappy man.”

“But you don’t know how to drive stick, do you?”

“I can barely drive automatic.”

“How do you get around then?”

“Trolley mostly. Vespa if I’m feeling adventurous.”

“Trolley?”

“I’m from San Francisco.”

“I see.”

Cosima stops short at a red light and Delphine opens the passenger side door.

“Where are you going? This isn’t Beverly Hills, is it?”

Delphine walks around to the driver’s side and pulls open the door. “Get out,” she orders.

“Are you carjacking me?”

“Yes,” Delphine stands expectantly as Cosima stares at her with mouth agape. “No, I’m not carjacking you. Get in the passenger seat, I’ll drive. I have a lot of experience with stick.”

“I’m sure you do,” Cosima remarks as she scoots over the to the passenger seat allowing Delphine to get behind the wheel.

“Wow, you are really short,” Delphine observes as she slides the seat back.

“Hey, I’m not short, you’re just very leggy.”

“You better buckle up,” Delphine warns.

Just as Cosima clicks the seatbelt, Delphine shifts and hits the gas, the car peeling through the intersection. Cosima’s body slams against the seat and she quickly grabs the handle above the window. “Delphine,” Cosima shouts.

“What?” Delphine grins as she takes a sharp turn.

“Nothing,” Cosima swallows loudly and tightens her grip on the handle.

Cosima winces as Delphine weaves through traffic, shutting her eyes as Delphine takes a sharp right turn onto Wilshire.

“You can open your eyes now,” Delphine smirks.

“My eyes weren’t closed, I was just yawning.”

“Because my driving is so boring?”

“Yeah, you drive like my grandma.”

“Oh really?”

“Yup.”

“Is your grandmother Danica Patrick?”

“No, my grandmother isn’t Danica Patrick,” Cosima mocks. “Who’s Danica Patrick?”

“A racecar driver.”

“Oh. Okay, fine, you don’t drive like my grandma, my grandma drives fifteen miles per hour max. You are a maniac.”

“This is a sports car, Cosima, it’s meant to be driven fast. This baby has a 2.2 liter, 4 cylinder engine that goes from 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds,” Delphine marvels.

“You know a lot about cars, I take it?”

“Yes, well, my high school boyfriend was obsessed with them. He actually taught me how to drive.”

“Remind me to thank him one day,” Cosima says sarcastically.

“You should, otherwise you might still be slowly clattering your way across town.”

“Fine, give me his address, I’ll send him a postcard.”

“If you didn’t know where you were going, why didn’t you just use the GPS on your phone?”

“There’s GPS on phones now?” Cosima asks with surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me that $20 ago?”

“Oh, stop it.”

“Okay, you’re right, that would have been a brilliant idea, except my phone is hiding somewhere in my hotel room. I couldn’t find it and was running late for this stupid party, so I gave up, figured I wouldn’t need it tonight anyway.”

“Ah, well, your loss is my gain.”

“Exactly. Just imagine how I might have wasted that twenty otherwise. I probably would have ended up stuffing my face at In-n-Out.”

“Mmm, well I wouldn’t blame you if you had. Animal style all the way.”

“Oh, for sure,” Cosima agrees.

“Here we are,” Delphine announces as they pull up in front of the hotel.

“That was quick,” Cosima marvels.

“Late night driving in LA, only way to avoid traffic.”

“That and a girl with a lead foot.”

“Yes, that too.”

The valet opens the doors for the girls, “Will you be needing the car again tonight?”

“No freakin' way am I getting into that thing again,” Cosima responds as she takes the valet ticket. The girls stand on the sidewalk and watch him drive off. “So, um, thanks, Delphine, for getting me back here in one piece… barely.”

“It was my pleasure. I haven’t driven a car in quite a while. That was fun.”

“You know, if you ever want to change careers, I bet you could give Danielle a run for her money.”

“Danica,” Delphine corrects with a laugh. “I’ll consider it.”

“Good,” Cosima says, fidgeting a bit, not sure what to say next. “Well, I guess this is it then.”

“Yes, bonne nuit, Cosima.” Delphine leans in and kisses her on each cheek.

“Goodnight, Delphine,” Cosima offers her a shy smile before walking towards the entrance of the hotel. She stops at the door and glances back towards Delphine, who is now standing at the bus stop. “Don’t do it, Cosima, don’t fucking do it,” Cosima mumbles to herself as she take another look back at Delphine. “Fuck it, when have I ever listened to myself before?” Cosima walks over to her, “Delphine?”

Delphine turns around, “Is something wrong, Cosima?”

“No, I was just wondering, um, how much do you charge?”

“Excuse me?”

“For your services.”

“Oh,” Delphine’s eyes go wide. “$100 an hour.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Yes, why, are you looking for a new line of work?”

Cosima laughs, “No, uh, what about for the whole night?”

“Well, I usually don’t do more than an hour or two, honestly, but for the whole night, I guess I’d charge $800.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Delphine furrows her brow. “Okay what?”

“Okay, I’ll pay you $800 for the night.”

Delphine’s eyes just about pop out of her head, “Are you messing with me? Is this because I told you I was a kindergarten teacher, now you decided to screw with me, too?”

“No, I want you to stay.”

“Stay? With you?”

Cosima nods, “Yes.”

“And do what?”

“Me.”

“You?” Delphine asks and Cosima nods. “Oh… OH,” realization sinks in. “You mean you’re…”

“A lesbian,” Cosima confirms.

“And you want me to spend the night with you?”

“Is that a problem? Shit, I should have asked if you swung that way first. I shouldn’t make assumptions, I’m an idiot, I’m sorry, if you don’t want to—”

“No, I didn’t say that I don’t want to,” Delphine cuts her off. “I mean, it’s not what I was expecting. Actually, I don’t know what I was expecting. And, yes, this is different, but I’m not opposed to trying something different. Especially for $800.”

“Really?” Cosima smiles.

Delphine nods, “Yes.”

“Cool, shall we?” Cosima extends her arm. Delphine nods as she takes her elbow and they start walking towards the front door. “Wait a sec,” Cosima takes off her coat and puts it around Delphine’s shoulders. “This hotel is a little on the stuffy side, I don’t know if they’re ready for you.”

Delphine laughs as they enter the hotel. Cosima stops at the front desk, “Can you have a bottle of the 2006 Margaux sent up to my room?”

“Certainly, Ms. Niehaus, will that be all?” Avery, the front desk clerk, asks.

Cosima turns to Delphine, “Are you hungry?”

“Non.”

“You sure?”

Delphine thinks for a moment, “Do they have truffles?”

Cosima looks at the clerk expectantly. “We have chocolate,” he responds.

“Do you like chocolate?” Cosima asks.

“Very much so,” Delphine nods.

“Great, please, send up a dozen of those.”

The clerk picks up the phone to ring room service as Cosima and Delphine head to the elevator bay. An older woman, waiting at the elevator with an older gentleman, gawks at Delphine, looking her up and down judgingly, her scrutinizing glare making Delphine visibly uncomfortable as she pulls the jacket around herself tightly.

“Excuse me, sir,” Cosima addresses the man beside her, “could you please rein in your lady, this one’s mine.” She wraps her arm around Delphine’s waist and pulls her close as a look of shock washes over the faces of the couple.

Delphine, a little taken aback by Cosima’s boldness, leans into her ear, whispering, “Thank you.”

The elevator doors open and Colin, the elevator operator, holds the doors open for his passengers. The older couple requests the 7th floor. “Penthouse,” Cosima announces as she hands him her key card to access that level. Delphine’s looks down at her and mouths, “Penthouse?” to which Cosima simply nods.

They reach the 7th floor and, as the older couple exits, Cosima can’t stop herself from one last jab, “Have a good night, you two, though I doubt it will be anywhere near as hot as ours is gonna be.”

“You are so bad,” Delphine giggles as the couple huffs and hurries away.

Cosima shrugs and takes Delphine’s hand as the elevator continues it’s ascent. They exit on the 14th floor and Cosima leads them down the hall to her suite, then fumbles a bit with the key card before finally unlocking the door, letting Delphine enter ahead of her.

Delphine looks around in shock, “Oh my goodness, this room is extraordinary!”

“Not what you’re used to?”

“Non, can’t say I’m taken to a room like this very often. Or at all. Motel 6 is more my clientele’s speed. This room must be costing you a fortune, no wonder $800 was nothing to you.”

“$800 isn’t nothing to me, it’s just fair, and this room is being expensed.”

“You must have a very good job if your company is paying for this.”

“It’s alright, I guess. I would never choose this fancy a room myself. The same guy I divested of his car for the night insisted I stay here.” Cosima slips out of her heels, “Please, make yourself comfortable.”

Delphine takes off her hat and Cosima’s coat and hangs them in the closet by the door. She sets her purse down and continues looking around the space in awe.

“Come on,” Cosima takes her hand, “I’ll give you a tour. So we’re in the living room, obvs. When we walked in there was a door on the right that leads to a small half bath. Over there is the media room, it has a 55 inch TV, stereo, big ass couch. Here we’ve got the dining room.”

“Are you planning on entertaining?” Delphine asks as she looks at the table surrounded by 10 chairs.

“Nope, but maybe I’ll sit in a different chair everyday so it feels lived in. Then back here is the kitchen.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, and before you ask, I don’t plan to cook while I’m here either. There’s three bedrooms, this one is the master. They’ve each got a private bathroom, but this one’s got the widest, deepest tub.”

“Unbelievable,” Delphine marvels.

They walk back out into the living room, “And finally, the terrace.”

“This really is exquisite.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Cosima picks up a remote, “Would you like me to put on some music?

“Yes, music would be nice,”

Cosima turns on the stereo and Grimes blasts from the speakers, she quickly lowers the volume. “Sorry, I’m kinda into electronica. If this isn’t your thing, feel free to change the station. I’m just going to go use the ladies room,” Cosima hands Delphine the remote.

Delphine scans to a specific station and French music fills the room. Cosima smiles as she re-enters the media room a couple minutes later, “I meant to ask about the whole you being French thing.”

Delphine raises an eyebrow, “The whole me being French thing?”

“I just mean, how long have you been living in the states, in Los Angeles?”

“Ah, well, I moved here about two years ago.”

“What brought you here?”

“My boyfriend, Henri. He came to me one day and said, ‘Delphine, I think we should move to Hollywood, we can be famous.’ He always dreamt of becoming an action movie star. So, me, being foolish and in love, agreed.”

“And where’s Henri now?”

“I caught him cheating on me with our neighbor and moved out. I haven’t seen him in nearly 15 months. Last I heard, he had run back home to France after being rejected by every talent agency in town.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, how’d you get into your current line of work?”

“After leaving Henri, I got a job waitressing at a bar where the tips were lousy and the customers were assholes. Anyway, after about 6 months, one of the other waitresses, Sarah, mentioned she was in need of a new roommate. I had been living in a shitty apartment with 3 other girls, so I jumped at it. After living together a week, I slowly realized she was never home late at night. A couple weeks later, she quit her job at the bar. I finally asked her where she goes at night and why she quit her job. She admitted that she’d been working as a prostitute. She’s British and said that American guys love girls with accents and that she’s sure I’d make a lot of money. I was hesitant, initially, I mean this isn’t something I ever aspired to do, but after the first few times, and as I started to make more money than I had been, I guess I got used it. So I stopped working nights at the bar and…” There’s a knock at the door, which startles Delphine.

“It’s okay, it’s just room service,” Cosima assures as she goes to answer it. The attendant places the wine and truffles on the dining table, Cosima tips him, and he leaves. “Sorry about that,” Cosima says, as she starts to pour the wine, “please continue.”

“That’s pretty much it, I quit my job and the rest is history.” Cosima hands Delphine a glass and she takes a sip, “Mmm, très délicieux!”

“Yeah, it better be pretty damn délicieux for $500 a bottle,” Cosima notes, causing Delphine to cough up the contents currently in her mouth. “Hey, you okay there?”

“Yes, I’m fine, I just thought you said that bottle costs $500.”

“I did.”

“That is crazy. I mean this is very good wine, but that price is insane.”

“Yeah and you just spit it out, so there goes at least $75 worth,” Cosima laughs.

“That’s not funny, Cosima.”

“Yeah, it kinda is. Don’t worry, I’m expensing the wine.”

“Are you going to expense me, too,” Delphine inquires as she grabs a truffle and takes a bite.

“No, you I am definitely not going to expense. Can you imagine how that would look on my expense report?”

“Not good, I’d imagine,” Delphine laughs.

Cosima pops a truffle in her mouth as they sit down on the couch, “This is delish!”

“Yes, it is,” Delphine agrees as she grabs another truffle and sits next to Cosima. She yelps as her tush meets the cushion and reaches her hand beneath her. “I think I found your phone,” she holds the device up.

“Oh, awesome,” Cosima takes it from her and places it on the end table. “Thank you, Inspector Clouseau.”

“At your service,” Delphine bows her head playfully.

“In more ways than one,” Cosima jokes.

“Cosima, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot,” Cosima nods.

“Why’d you bring me back to your room tonight? You weren’t in Hollywood looking for a hooker, I just sort of imposed myself on you.”

“No, I wasn’t, but, I don’t know, I guess I just decided that I didn’t want to be alone tonight.”

“Have you been with a prostitute before?”

“No,” Cosima shyly admits before brightening, “but, hey, there’s a first time for everything, right?”

“Yes, for both of us.”

“You’ve really never been with a woman before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Is this gonna be weird for you?”

“Weird?”

“You and me?” Cosima gestures with her hands, making a v shape with each hand and joining them together.

Delphine chuckles at the demonstration, “Well, it’ll be different, I suppose, but not weird.”

“Okay, because if you want to back out, I’d totally understand. And I’ll pay you for your time.”

“Cosima,” Delphine grabs the hands flying madly in the air, “there’s no place else I’d rather be right now.”

“Good, good,” Cosima grins.

The song changes and Delphine drops Cosima’s hands, jumping to her feet, “Oh, I love this song.” She sways along to the music.

“It’s lovely,” Cosima smiles as she watches Delphine move. “What’s it about?”

“It’s about a woman who is dying, and when she dies, her lover’s heart dies with her.”

“Wow, that’s not very uplifting.”

“It is if you think about it as love being eternal, even after death, two hearts forever entwined.”

“Well, if you put it that way,” Cosima laughs. Her laughter quickly fades as Delphine approaches the couch, extending her hand to Cosima. Cosima takes it and Delphine pulls her to her feet, spinning her around so Cosima’s back is to her front. She clutches Cosima’s hips and they gently sway to the music. Delphine’s lips find their way to Cosima’s neck, placing featherlight kisses along the expanse of skin. The little hairs on her neck stand at attention as a chill works its way through Cosima’s body. Cosima extends her right arm behind her, wrapping it around Delphine’s neck, bringing their bodies even closer together.

They remain like that through the conclusion of the song. When it ends, Delphine twirls Cosima around so they’re face to face as the next song plays. Something in the way Cosima’s darkened eyes are looking up at her compels Delphine to scoop Cosima up into her arms, Cosima’s legs immediately wrapping around Delphine’s waist. Delphine carries Cosima into the master bedroom and gently deposits her onto the fluffy king size bed.

Cosima scoots back towards the headboard, her eyes fixed on Delphine. She watches as Delphine removes her tank top, then her skirt, leaving her in just a black bra, g-string, and thigh high boots. Delphine raises her right leg up on the edge of the bed and pulls down the zipper on her boot before peeling it off, repeating the action with the left. She lifts her eyes to find Cosima’s eyes trained on her. Delphine stands up on the bed, extending a hand to Cosima and pulling her up.

“Do you want to jump on the bed or something?” Cosima asks with a nervous laugh.

“Turn around,” Delphine commands.

Cosima does as told and Delphine reaches for the zipper on Cosima’s dress, her fingers ghosting along Cosima’s back as she unfastens the dress, letting it fall to the bed around Cosima’s feet. Cosima kicks it off onto the floor and turns back towards Delphine, the two women now standing on the bed in their underwear. Cosima’s eyes trace Delphine’s body from toes to head. Licking her lips, she reaches her arms around Delphine’s neck to pull herself near, but, as their mouths inch closer, she feels resistance and Delphine pushes her gently away.

“I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?” Cosima asks guiltily, though not sure what she’s guilty of.

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just, I don’t kiss on the lips.”

Cosima is taken aback, “You don’t kiss on the lips?”

Delphine shakes her head, “No.”

“Um, okay, can I ask why? I mean it seems like that’s kinda part of the job description.”

“I’m a prostitute, Cosima, my job is to give my clients pleasure and let them use my body to attain their release, but just my body. Kissing on the lips, that’s true intimacy. In order to do this job, I have to separate my body from my heart, remain detached. If you can’t handle that, let me know.”

“I can handle it,” Cosima asserts, “don’t be a bitch.”

A thin smile crosses Delphine’s lips, “Good.” Delphine reaches around Cosima, undoing the clasp on her bra, the undergarment falling down Cosima’s arms onto the floor. Delphine takes a moment to appreciate Cosima’s ample bosom, reaching out and cupping each breast, her thumbs extending to rub along her nipples, which harden under her touch. Delphine guides Cosima gently down onto the mattress.

Once horizontal, Cosima removes her glasses and places them on the bedside table as Delphine proceeds to replace her hands with her mouth, her teeth and tongue toying with the firm peaks as Cosima arches into her warm mouth. Soon, Delphine moves on, placing tiny kisses along Cosima’s chest before tracing a path with her tongue down Cosima’s torso, stopping when she reaches her panty line. Cosima expels a stuttering breath as Delphine takes the fabric between her teeth and begins pulling the underwear down Cosima’s legs. Once removed, she kisses her way back up Cosima’s legs, pausing when she reaches the apex of her thighs. She stares at this unfamiliar sexual territory, breathing in the scent of Cosima’s arousal.

Cosima looks down with concern at the lengthy pause in action, “Delphine, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

Delphine glances up into the warm, brown eyes staring back at her. “Non, I want to,” she insists as she hooks Cosima’s legs over her shoulders, placing featherlight kisses along the inside of her thighs and teasing her with little nips. She finally swipes her tongue up Cosima’s folds, causing Cosima’s hips to buck and a whimper to slip from her lips. As Delphine continues exploring this new territory, Cosima grabs the slats in the headboard to steady herself. Her initial hesitation gone, Delphine grows more and more confident with every thrust of her tongue and responding moan from Cosima. As Cosima’s body starts reacting more erratically to Delphine’s attention, Delphine wraps her right arm tightly around Cosima’s left thigh to hold her in place, while her left hand finds capture on Cosima’s ass as she continues her ministrations.

As she coaxes copious evidence of Cosima’s pleasure to flow, a sexy, guttural moan from deep within Delphine is all it takes to push Cosima over the edge. Cosima shouts a string of obscenities as she spasms around Delphine’s tongue. Delphine smiles as she laps at the fruits of her labor before kissing her way back up Cosima’s body and settling next to her.

Delphine braces her head against her hand as she looks down at Cosima’s flushed, satisfied face, “Was that okay?”

“Okay?” Cosima asks incredulously. “That was fucking phenomenal! I can’t believe you’ve never done that before.”

“I guess I just know what I do and don’t like from a partner, so I applied that knowledge to pleasuring you.”

“Oh, you definitely pleasured me,” Cosima grins as she leans forward, gently pushing Delphine back against the pillows as her hand methodically travels down the length of Delphine’s body.

Delphine grabs Cosima’s wrist, stilling her movement, “What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing? I’m returning the favor.”

“That’s not necessary,” Delphine insists.

“Not necessary?” Cosima repeats. “Is this because I’m a woman?”

“No, you being a woman has nothing to do with it. My job is to get my client off, not myself.”

“More of that detachment thing?”

“Yes.”

“You must do a lot of faking it then with your johns, huh?”

“Oui,” Delphine laughs, “I think I’ve perfected the art of the fake orgasm.”

“You wouldn’t be able to fake it with me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah,” Cosima nods. “I’m sure your average client probably isn’t very skilled. If I really wanted to, I could make you come in under five minutes with just my hand.”

“Five minutes,” Delphine scoffs, “is that a fact?”

“Totally. You see these fingers?” Cosima holds up her right hand and wiggles her digits. “Magic! Now don’t get me wrong, normally I’d draw it out, but sometimes there’s limited time and a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

“Maybe your magical fingers work on some girls, but I doubt they’d work on me.”

“You wanna bet?” Cosima asks mischievously.

“I’m not betting you.”

“Why not?”

“What would we even bet?”

“How about a hundred dollars? You win, you get an extra hundred, I win, you’re down to 700 for the night.”

Delphine mulls the offer, she can definitely use the extra $100 and she’s sure she’d win, but does she even want to go there with Cosima? She stares into Cosima’s twinkling, eager eyes. “Fine,” she ultimately decides.

“Fine? Is that a yes?”

Delphine nods, “Yes.”

“Yes!” Cosima pumps her fist into the air and Delphine smiles at her enthusiasm.

“But we have to set some ground rules first.”

“Okay, let me hear these ground rules of yours,” Cosima waves at her to go ahead.

“Number one, no kissing on the lips.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got that one already,” Cosima frowns. “Rule number two?”

“Two, you have to accomplish this with just your hand, no mouth below the waist.”

“What about above the waist?”

“Above the waist is fine.”

“Anything else, princess?”

Delphine thinks for a moment, “No, that’s it.”

“Great, lay back, babe, this is gonna be an easy win,” Cosima cracks her knuckles dramatically.

“Babe?”

“Just humor me.”

Delphine lays back against the pillows as Cosima moves to straddle her, resting her weight on Delphine’s thighs. Cosima reaches her hands under Delphine’s back, finding the clasp of her bra and undoing it, slipping the bra off her arms and tossing it behind her wildly. She then slides down Delphine’s legs, her hands pulling Delphine’s barely there underwear with her as she goes. Cosima moves off the edge of the bed and drops the garment on the floor. She stands there for a moment, transfixed, as she admires Delphine’s naked form.

“Um, Cosima, you have five minutes, are you gonna stand there all night or…”

“Hold that thought,” Cosima says, snapping out her haze, “I need to get something.” Cosima rushes out of the bedroom, leaving Delphine perplexed. She returns quickly, phone in hand.

“Do you really need to make a phone call right now?” Delphine asks, motioning to her naked body.

“No, I don’t need to make a phone call,” Cosima mocks. “I just wanna make this fair.” Cosima sets the timer on her iPhone for 5 minutes, places the phone on the dresser, and quickly jumps onto the bed.

“Wow, you really know how to make a sexy entrance.”

“Hey, time constraint here,” Cosima reminds.

Cosima lays down beside Delphine and begins nibbling along her collarbone with a combination of teeth, lips, and tongue, while her right hand traces a gentle path down her chest, sliding between her breasts and straight to her navel, dipping a finger playfully in and out of her bellybutton before continuing to run her hand down the silky smooth stomach. Cosima stills her hand atop Delphine’s pelvis, the tip of her middle finger toying with Delphine’s clit as she lowers her mouth to Delphine’s chest. She runs her tongue along the underside of her breasts before capturing a nipple between her lips. Cosima glances up at Delphine, who raises a hand to her mouth in a mock yawn. Just then Cosima bites down on the sensitive bud while her hand slips into position, one finger entering Delphine. Delphine gasps, causing Cosima to quickly add another finger. Cosima works swiftly and precisely and, before long, she has Delphine whimpering and on edge, her hips bucking as Cosima slides her fingers in and out, up and down, making sure to rub against her increasingly sensitive nub. Cosima reaches for Delphine’s right hand with her left, tightly entwining their fingers. She can feel Delphine close to combustion, so she turns up the heat, her fingers pumping in and out of Delphine at just the right angle and with just the right amount of pressure to drive her wild. Delphine’s breath hitches and Cosima releases the nipple from between her teeth, raising her head to stare right into wide, golden orbs as she curls her fingers and Delphine explodes, clamping down around Cosima’s digits, an almost animalistic roar escaping her lips as her body convulses in waves.

Suddenly, the room fills with noise,

_Bill Nye the Science Guy_  
_Bill Nye the Science Guy_  
_Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill_

“Oh shit,” Cosima gasps, releasing Delphine as she pulls her hand free and jumps off the bed.

_Bill Nye the Science Guy_  
_(Science rules)_  
_Bill Nye the Science Guy_  
_(Inertia is a property of matter)_

Cosima rushes to her phone, hitting stop to shut off the intrusive sound. She glances sheepishly back at a laughing Delphine.

“Really?”

“Shut up, that means I won,” Cosima sticks her tongue out.

“Yes, you did,” Delphine concedes, sitting up and extending her arm. Cosima walks over to the edge of the bed and shakes Delphine’s hand. “Congratulations!”

“Thanks, I couldn’t have done it without you,” Cosima winks.

“So cheeky,” Delphine responds as Cosima crawls back up the bed.

They lie, side by side, their heads resting on their respective pillows, staring up at the ceiling as their breathing normalizes.

Delphine turns her head to look at Cosima, “That was amazing.”

Cosima turns her head and grins, “Yeah, it was.”

“You were right, you really do have magic fingers.”

“I guess I do.”

“What do you mean you guess?”

“Well, I’ve never timed it before, but I doubt I’ve actually ever gotten a girl to come that hard in under five minutes.”

“What?” Delphine yelps. “But you said—”

“I lied.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hey, you wouldn’t let me reciprocate and I figured you probably wouldn’t turn down a challenge. Either way, I couldn’t lose. And if I ended up giving you an extra $100, so be it. Damn, did that work out, though. I got you off in under five minutes and I get to take $100 off the bill.”

“You are such a brat,” Delphine smacks her arm.

Cosima’s tongue pokes through her teeth gleefully, “Yes, but a talented brat, right?”

“Oui, very talented,” Delphine admits.

Cosima smiles proudly before her eyes slowly start to close.

Just as she nears unconsciousness, Delphine mumbles, “Bill Nye?”

“I’ll explain later,” Cosima replies drowsily and soon they’re both sound asleep.

Delphine is awaken, an hour or so later, by the body pressed tightly against her own. She opens her eyes and can just barely see the outline of Cosima’s shoulders and head, her back pressed against Delphine’s chest. Realizing she has no room left on her side of the bed to move over to in order to escape this surprising closeness, she whispers, “Cosima.” Getting no response other than sleepy little puffs of breath, she tries to gently push Cosima back to her side of the bed. She places one hand on her shoulder and another on the small of her back and tries to inch her forward. Instead of moving, Cosima unconsciously grabs the hand on her shoulder and pulls it around her body. Finding herself cuddling a very unconscious Cosima, and unable to delicately extricate her arm from Cosima’s tight grip on it, against her better judgement and preferred bedroom boundaries, an exhausted Delphine surrenders to her predicament, allowing herself to spoon her unexpected, but surprisingly welcome, sapphic companion.


	2. Broad Strokes

Cosima slowly opens her eyes, the alarm clock on the end table vibrantly blaring 7:30 directly into her face. She groans, not wanting to get up, but knowing she can’t miss the 10:00 meeting or risk the wrath of Aldous Leekie. As she looks down at the arm draped across her body, Cosima can’t remember feeling this comfortable in bed in a really long time. She also can’t remember exactly how they ended up sleeping this close to one another. Cosima smiles at the light snore emanating from the head behind hers, before slowly and carefully extricating herself from under the arm that’s firmly wrapped around her chest, careful not to wake Delphine in the process. Once successfully out of bed, Cosima quietly retreats into one of the guest bathrooms and turns on the shower.

The bathroom quickly fills with steam and Cosima steps under the hot spray. As she washes her body, her mind wanders back to the events of last night, to the feeling of Delphine’s tongue, to the sensation of Delphine clamping around her fingers, and to the warm body pressed against hers this morning.

“Snap out of it, Cosima,” she chastises herself, “she’s a prostitute, this is her job. You paid her a lot of money to sleep with you, that’s all it was.” The night continues replaying in her head, causing her temperature to rise. She quickly twists the shower handle, a blast of cold water pulling her out of her highly aroused state.

She shuts off the shower, towels off, and throws on a hotel bathrobe. Reentering the master bedroom, Cosima notices Delphine’s body has shifted over into the space previously occupied by her own and something seems strangely different about her. She steps over to the bedside table and grabs her glasses. Coming into focus, her eyes trail up the length of Delphine’s body, stopping at the cascading blonde locks spilling over the pillow. Cosima’s heart starts beating rapidly at the sight of those curls, her hands aching to run through them. She notices the dark wig laying on the floor besides the bed and quickly picks it up and places it on the armchair. She takes one last, lingering look at Delphine before retreating into the living room.

About thirty minutes later, Delphine wakes up, briefly forgetting where she is as her eyes adjust to her surroundings. “Beverly Hills,” she reminds herself. Realizing that Cosima is missing, she pulls off the covers and rushes to use the bathroom.

Cosima groans as she looks at the caller ID on her ringing cell phone, “Good morning, Leekie.”

“Cosima, fantastic, you’re awake. You sound much better than you did last night, should I assume then that you had a good night’s sleep?”

“Yup, I slept great, better than I have in ages.”

“Wonderful! I expect you’ll be on time for the meeting?”

“I will.”

“Daniel will be by at 9:30 to pick up my car from the valet, you can ride over to the office with him.”

“About that,” Cosima says ominously.

“Oh no, what happened to my Lotus?” Leekie worries.

“It’s fucking fast,” Cosima replies as Delphine enters wearing a matching fluffy hotel robe. “Gotta go, see you at the meeting.”

“Good morning,” Delphine grins as she approaches Cosima at the dining table.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Cosima smiles. “I like the curls.”

“Oh,” Delphine’s hands immediately reach for her hair, “thank you. My wig must have fallen off while I was sleeping.”

“Yeah, I put it on the chair in the bedroom.” A smiles spreads across Cosima’s face, “You have really great hair. Like, shampoo commercial great. Why do you wear the wig?”

“I guess it’s kind of a defensive mechanism, a way to play a part, keep somewhat of barrier between myself and my clients.”

Cosima nods in understanding, “Well, I’m honored you’ve lowered your walls with me.”

Delphine smiles, then quickly sobers, “I’m sorry I slept so late. I should really get dressed and out of your way, it sounds like you have somewhere to be.”

“No rush, why don’t you sit and have breakfast with me,” Cosima motions to an empty chair. “I ordered room service.” Cosima uncovers the plate.

“Crepes?” Delphine asks as she sits down.

Cosima nods, “I thought you might like them. I didn’t know what filling you’d want, though, so I got them all.”

“You ordered this for me?”

“Yeah,” Cosima pours her a cup of coffee, “can’t have you miss the most important meal of the day.”

“Merci,” Delphine responds, touched by the kind gesture. She picks up her fork and digs in, “Mmmm, this is delicious.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Cosima grins before joining in.

“Can I ask what it is you do for a living?” Delphine inquires between bites.

“I’m a scientist.”

“You must be a really good scientist to be put up in this room.”

“I run a lab under the umbrella of the Dyad Corporation, they’re footing the bill for all this.”

“What kind of science do you do?”

“Drug discovery, mostly. I recently developed a cancer drug that treats B cell malignancies. The drug works by blocking an enzyme, Bruton's tyrosine kinase, that is key to B cell growth, which spirals out of control in certain blood cancers. The treatment has shown promise in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”

Delphine’s eyes widen, “Wow!”

“I’m sorry, I probably should have put that in layman’s terms. I get a little carried away with the science speak sometimes.”

“Non, non, I think I understand.”

“You do?”

“You don’t have to look so surprised, Cosima. Hooker doesn’t mean stupid.”

“No, of course it doesn’t. I’m sorry.”

“I actually dreamt of being a doctor when I was a little girl.”

“Really? Why didn’t you pursue it?”

“Money, mostly. My father passed away from cancer, ironically, when I was 8. Treatment for his illness was very taxing on my parents and by the time he died, my mother was in debt. She worked as a seamstress and it was a huge struggle just to get by, let alone send me to university. She used to make all my clothing by hand because it was cheaper than buying new. When I came to America, part of me was hoping I really would get discovered so I’d be able to make enough money to afford medical school. Henri used to say I could be a supermodel. I was stupid to believe him.”

“No, that’s not stupid at all, you’re so beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Delphine blushes.

“I’m really sorry, Delphine.”

“For what?”

“For everything you went through growing up, but you shouldn’t give up on your dreams.”

“Maybe one day I’ll get lucky and win the lottery,” Delphine jokes before changing the subject. “So Bill Nye?”

“Oh god,” Cosima face palms, “that was embarrassing.”

“No, it was actually kind of cute,” Delphine grins. “Why Bill Nye, though?”

“He was my childhood hero and inspiration for getting into science. I used to rush home after school to watch his show. If we had more time, I’d totally show you some of my favorite episodes, but I really need to get dressed and head over to this meeting.”

“Of course, don’t worry.”

“Finish up your breakfast,” Cosima gets up and heads towards the bedroom to get ready.

“Cosima?”

“Yeah?” Cosima turns to face her.

“Would you mind if I took a bath before I go? I’ve kinda always wanted to take a bubble bath in a huge tub like that.”

Cosima smiles broadly, “Go right ahead, every girl deserves a luxurious bubble bath at least once in her life.”

Delphine finishes breakfast while Cosima begins getting dressed, she then heads into the bathroom and runs the tub.

Cosima is putting on her shoes when her cellphone rings. “Seriously, Leekie? I said I’d be on time for the meeting, but I won’t be if you keep calling me.”

“That’s not why I’m calling. I got a call from Kellerman about your dinner with him tonight, he’s bringing along his nephew, Ramon, who he’s promoting to be his VP of distribution.”

“Oh great, I can’t wait,” Cosima grumbles.

“I think you should bring a date.”

“No.”

“Yes. Look, Cosima, I know how you get in social situations when they don’t understand what you’re talking about, you go quiet and zone out. You need someone there to keep up the casual conversation.”

“I don’t need anybody, it'll be fine.”

“Why don’t you take Marion’s niece, Elizabeth. You met her last time you were in town.”

“Elizabeth?” Cosima struggles to remember who that is. “Do you mean that cop?”

“She’s a detective.”

“No, thanks, I don’t do cops. Literally,” Cosima giggles at her own joke.

“Cosima, what would one date hurt?”

“I said n—” she stops talking as high-pitched singing coming from the bathroom interrupts her train of thought.

“ _So I cry, and I pray and I beg_  
_Love me love me_  
_Say that you love me_  
_Fool me fool me_  
_Go on and fool me_ ”

“What is that horrid noise?” Leekie asks with a tinge of annoyance.

“ _Love me love me_  
_Pretend that you love me_  
_Leave me leave me_  
_Just say that you need me_  
_I can't care 'bout anything but you_ ”

“Oh, um, that’s just housekeeping,” Cosima quickly answers as she peeks inside the bathroom where Delphine is immersed in bubbles, earbuds in with her phone on the ledge behind her, eyes closed as she sings along to the music.

“ _Lately I have desperately pondered,_  
_Spent my nights awake and I wonder_  
_What I could have done in another way_  
_To make you stay_ ”

“Cosima, are you still there? Did you hear anything I said?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here,” she whispers. “I actually have someone I’ll be taking to the dinner. I’ll see you at 10.”

“Wait, Cosima, who?” Cosima hangs up on Leekie and continues watching Delphine.

“ _Reason will not lead to solution_  
_I will end up lost in confusion_  
_I don't care if you really care_  
_As long as you don't go_ ”

Delphine opens her eyes, sees Cosima watching her, and immediately pulls her earbuds out and stops singing.

“Don’t stop on my account, I just couldn’t resist attending this tubside concert. I’m surprised you’re not singing something in French. Big Cardigans fan, are you?”

“That’s the only song of theirs I know.”

“Do they even have any other songs?” Cosima wonders

“Hmm, I actually don’t know.”

“Well, I was just about to head out, but—”

“Oh,” Delphine starts to get up from the tub. “I’m sorry, did you need me to leave the hotel room before you go to your meeting?”

“No, no, please stay as long as you want. Actually, I have a proposition for you.”

“Didn’t you already proposition me?” Delphine smirks as she settles back down into the water.

“Funny, very funny. I have yet another proposition for you.”

“I’m all ears.”

“How would you like to stay here with me ’til Sunday?”

“Sunday? Today is Monday. You want me to stay with you all week?”

“Yeah. I’ve got a dinner tonight and some other events I have to go to this week and I’d like you to accompany me to them as my date.”

“You want me to be your date to these events?” Delphine asks with an almost unsure smile forming on her lips.

“That’s what I said, yes.”

“There’s nobody else you’d rather have join you?”

“Nope. I’ll cover all your expenses: clothing, food, whatever you need, on top of paying you for the week, of course.”

“How much?”

“I don’t know, six full days at $100 an hour, that would be…”

“$14,400,” Delphine computes. “You’re not going to pay me that much.”

“No, you’re right, that’s a dumb amount. Why don’t we just make it $15,000 even?”

“Fifteen thousand dollars? You really want to pay me $15,000 to stay with you in this penthouse and attend events with you?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Because that’s insane. You’re insane. I don’t think I can stay with someone so insane.”

“You know who’s even more insane than me?”

“Who?”

“The speed demon who is seriously considering not taking $15,000 to hang out with me for a week.”

“Just hang out?” Delphine raises an eyebrow. “No more of last night’s extracurricular activities?”

Cosima leans down next to the tub and runs a finger up Delphine’s wet arm, “Maybe hang out was the wrong wording. I should’ve said, attend boring shit with me and have sex,” she scoops up a few bubbles and blows them at Delphine. “So what do you say?”

Delphine pretends to think long and hard about it, “Alright, I guess I’ll stay.”

“Oh, you guess, do you?” Cosima shakes her head and splashes Delphine playfully. “I need to get to this meeting, I’ll leave your money for last night on the dining room table along with some shopping money. Buy whatever you’ll need for the week. You should probably get a cocktail dress to wear tonight. We’re going to some fancy schmancy five star restaurant. The dry cleaner is sending my dress to the office, so I’ll just get ready there. I’ll pick you up at 6:30.”

“Sounds good.”

“See you later,” Cosima turns to leave the bathroom.

“Cosima?” Delphine calls after her.

“Yeah,” Cosima twirls around.

“The money notwithstanding, I’m really glad I carjacked you last night.”

Cosima smiles, “I’m really glad you carjacked me, too.”

As soon as Cosima is gone, Delphine starts squeeing, gathering a handful of bubbles and blowing them all over the place. She gets out of the tub, towels off, and throws on a robe, then grabs her phone, flops down on the bed, and dials Sarah.

“Oi, Delphine, why are you calling me so early? Where are you?”

“I’m in Beverly Hills.”

“Beverly Hills? Wait, are you still with the sports car guy from last night?”

“Yes, well, kind of.”

“What do you mean kind of, either you are or you aren’t?”

“I am still with the driver of the Lotus, but it’s not a guy.”

“Huh? I’m not following.”

“The driver was a girl.”

“A girl? Damn, Frenchie, I didn’t know you did ladies.”

“I don’t do ladies.”

“Oh, really? What did you two do all night, play chess?”

“No, we definitely did not play chess.”

“Holy shite, Delphine, did you have sex with Lotus girl?”

“I did, although that wasn’t her Lotus. I don’t think she even knows how to drive. I actually ended up driving the car—”

“Stop babbling, I want details on the sex. What was it like?”

“As if you don’t know.”

“Of course I know, but this was a first for you, Miss Uptight who won’t even kiss them on the lips.”

“I am not uptight, Sarah.”

“Not anymore, apparently. So spill, how was it?”

“It was… different.”

“Yeah, no shit. Different good or different bad.”

“Different good, actually,” Delphine smiles.

“Fuck me, Delphine. I mean not literally. Don’t start putting the moves on me or anything now, but fuck, this is wild. You trying to double your client base or something? You’ll be raking in the dough now. How much did you make?”

“$800, erm, $700.”

“700 bucks? Are you shitting me?”

“Non, I am not shitting you. That’s why I called, I want you to come by, I’m at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, I’m going to leave the money for you at the front desk to pay Mrs. S.”

“Why can’t you just bring it home with you?”

“I’m not coming home. I mean, I am, but not until Sunday. She asked me to stay with her the rest of the week.”

“Damn, Frenchie, you must have been fucking incredible in the sack. What are you getting paid, like $3000?”

“Something like that,” Delphine responds, not wanting to tell Sarah exactly how much Cosima is paying her. “Look, I need to go, but please just come by and get the money.”

“Ok, ok, I will.”

“Great, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Have fun, pussycat,” Sarah purrs into the phone before hanging up.

Delphine throws on her clothes from last night, stuffs the money in her purse, and leaves the room.

“Excuse me,” she glances at the front desk attendant’s name tag, “Raj. Do you have an envelope?”

“Certainly, here you go.”

She puts $700 in the envelope, seals it, and writes Sarah Manning on the front before handing it over to Raj. “A friend of mine, Sarah Manning, will be by later to pick this up.”

“Okay, Ma’am.”

“Thank you,” Delphine turns and heads through the lobby, brushing past the manager.

“Raj, who was that?”

“I don’t know, Mr. Dawkins, I’ve never seen her before. She left an envelope for someone to pick up.”

“Colin,” he calls over the elevator operator, “do you know who that woman was?”

“Yes, Ms. Niehaus in the penthouse brought her back to the hotel last night.”

“I see,” he nods as he watches Delphine exit the hotel.

Delphine walks across Wilshire Boulevard to Rodeo Drive and begins browsing store windows. A dress in one window catches her eye and she enters the store.

“Can I help you?” the small, blonde sales associate asks, her eyes scanning Delphine from head to toe.

“I’d like to try on the black dress in the window.”

“I’m sorry, I think you’ve come to the wrong store.”

“Excuse me?”

“This is Rodeo Drive, honey, I think you must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Why don’t I call you a cab, have them take you to Frederick’s of Hollywood.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Delphine responds as she quickly turns on her heel and exits the store. She bypasses all other shops as she briskly walks back to the hotel.

“Penthouse,” she requests once back in the elevator.

“Key card?” Colin asks.

“I don’t have one.”

“I can’t let you up without it.”

“But you know me, Colin, can’t you just help me out?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t have access to that floor without the card.”

Delphine exits the elevator in a huff and walks over to the front desk, “Excuse me, Raj—”

“Your friend hasn’t come yet,” he quickly tells her.

“That’s alright, she’ll probably be by later. I’m actually here because I forgot the key to my room, I’m staying in the penthouse with Cosima. Do you have another I can use to get back in?”

“I’m sorry, there’s nobody else listed on the reservation, I’m afraid I can’t give you a key.”

“Seriously?”

“Again, I’m very sorry, it’s hotel policy.”

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” she begins to complain. “Colin knows me, I came with Cosima last night, I’m her guest.”

“Can I help you?” Mr. Dawkins asks, approaching Delphine.

She scans his name tag, “You’re the hotel manager, so, yes, Felix, you can help me. I’m a guest of Cosima’s in the penthouse and I don’t have a key card to get back into the room.”

“I’m sorry, but as Raj said, we cannot let anyone into the room unless they are noted on the reservation.”

“What am I supposed to do then, sit in your lobby all day waiting for her to get back? As if that horrible girl on Rodeo wasn’t bad enough, now I have no clothes and no room.”

“I’m sorry, what horrible girl are you referring to?”

“Ugh, just a bitchy salesgirl who wouldn’t help me buy a dress. I’m attending a fancy dinner with Cosima tonight and I have nothing to wear. I mean unless you think this outfit is appropriate?”

Felix looks her over, at her white tank, short black skirt, and black knee-high leather boots, “No, darling, that will definitely not do.”

Delphine flops down onto the couch in the lobby as tears begin rolling down her cheeks.

“Oh no, please, no crying in the lobby, it’s bad for business,” he hands her his handkerchief. “I’ll phone Ms. Niehaus and have her verify that she wants us to let you into her room.” He pulls out his phone, “What’s her number?”

Delphine looks up at him, “I don’t know, we, well we’ve just recently met. I didn’t even know her last name was Niehaus.”

“I see.” He turns towards the front desk, “Raj, can you please get Ms. Niehaus on the line and transfer the call to me.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Dawkins.”

Cosima is sitting in a boardroom with Leekie and about a dozen others when her phone rings, “Please excuse me.” She takes the phone into the hall, “Hello.”

“Hello, is this Ms. Niehaus?”

“Yes, who’s this?”

“Felix Dawkins, manager of the Beverly Wilshire.”

“Oh, hey, Felix, how can I help you?”

“I’m sorry to bother you, but do you know a Ms.—” Felix looks at Delphine expectantly.

“Cormier,” she responds.

“Cormier,” he finishes.

“Ms. Cormier?” Cosima asks with confusion. “Oh, wait, do you mean Delphine?”

“Delphine,” Felix repeats and Delphine nods. “Yes, she’s sitting here with me now and is asking to be allowed into your room. As we don’t have her listed on your reservation, we could not let her in—”

“Oh shit, I forgot to get her a key. Yes, Delphine is staying with me this week. Please let her into my room.”

“As you wish, Ms. Niehaus.”

“Thanks. Can I talk to her for a sec?”

“Certainly,” Felix hands Delphine the phone.

“Hello?”

“Delphine, I am so sorry, I totally wasn’t thinking when I left this morning.”

“That’s okay, I’m sorry we bothered you at work.”

“Oh please, I welcome the interruption, I’m pretty sure I was sleeping with my eyes open in this meeting. I better get back in there, though, before they come looking for me. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay, bye, Cosima.” Delphine hands the phone back to Felix.

“Raj, please make Ms. Cormier a key to the penthouse.”

“Certainly.”

“Okay, Raj will have that for you shortly and then you can go back up to the room.”

“Great,” she responds with zero enthusiasm.

“What now?”

“I still don’t have anything to wear to this dinner.”

“Come with me, please.”

“Felix, I know you don’t want me in the lobby, but I can’t go back up to the room yet, I need to get this dress.”

“I’m not sending you to your room, luv, I’m helping you.” Felix extends his hand and Delphine takes it, rising off the couch and following him.

“You’re British,” Delphine observes as they walk.

“And you’re French.”

“My roommate is British. Do you know Sarah Manning?”

“No, darling, I’m afraid us Brits don’t hang out together eating spotted dick, well not all of us, anyway. Speaking of spotted dick, do you know Matthieu Leduc?”

“No, who’s he?”

“A Frenchman, tremendous glutes.”

Delphine giggles, “Okay, point taken. Where are we going?”

“Here,” Felix opens a door for Delphine and a little bell rings.

“Oh, wow, I didn’t know you had a dress shop in this hotel.”

“Felix!” A woman exclaims, approaching him with open arms.

“Sherry, baby, how are you?” he asks as they embrace.

“Better now that you’re here. What can I do for you?”

“My dear friend, Delphine, has a very fancy dinner to attend tonight and nothing to wear. Can you help her out?”

“I certainly can. Pleasure to meet you, Delphine,” Sherry and Delphine shakes hands.

“I will leave you two lovely women to your devices. Delphine, when you’re finished here, stop by the front desk to get your key card.”

“Thank you, Felix,” Delphine calls out as he leaves the store, giving her a nod on his way out.

“So, Delphine, tell me what you had in mind,” Sherry says sweetly, putting Delphine immediately at ease.

An hour later, Delphine walks through the lobby, dress bag in hand.

“Well, well, looks like that was successful,” Felix observes.

“Yes, very much so, thank you.”

“It was my pleasure. Here you go,” Felix hands over the key card. As Delphine takes it, he gasps when he sees her hand, “Oh no!”

“What?”

“You’re not planning to go to dinner with those nails are you?”

“What’s wrong with my nails?”

“Is this a goth themed dinner you’re attending?”

“Felix, black polish is very in right now.”

“Not amongst the snooty rich folk.”

“Well I don’t have any nail polish with me. Besides, I’m terrible at doing it myself.”

“Not a problem. Follow me,” Felix leads her through the hotel to the spa.

“Krystal Castle,” Delphine reads the sign above the door as they enter.

“Fee!” a voice squeals and a buxom blonde in a tight pink dress runs over in high heels to give him a huge hug.

“Hello, Krystal, sweetie.”

“Today isn’t your facial day is it?”

“No, that’s Thursday, today I need you and your team to work your magic on my friend, Delphine. She has a fancy dinner to attend tonight and needs her nails, hair, and makeup to look flawless.”

“You’ve come to the right place,” Krystal smiles brightly as she flashes her perfectly pink, pointed nails in Delphine’s direction.

“Yes, I can see that.”

“Delphine, you’re in excellent hands with Krystal. And while you are getting beautified, I’ll just go say hello to BDP.”

“BDP?” Delphine furrows her brow.

“Big Dick Paul,” Krystal responds as Felix saunters away. “Paul is our most popular masseuse. We like to keep it on the down low, but he specializes in happy endings. If you need some loosening up—”

“Non, non, I’m loose enough,” Delphine assures.

“Let me see what you’re wearing tonight.” Delphine pulls down the zipper on the dress bag. “Oh, now that is totally gorge. Please have a seat. I’m thinking red nails, red lips, very black mascara, with a princess braid. Your man isn’t gonna be able to keep it in his pants when he sees you. He’ll have the hottest date at this shindig.”

“There is no man,” Delphine says as she sits down opposite Krystal. “My date is a woman.”

“Even better,” Krystal smiles, “no one can appreciate the lengths we go to for beauty quite like another woman. You’re already hot, but after my team and I get through with you, your girlfriend will melt at your feet.”

“Actually, she’s not my girlfriend. It’s kind of, well, it’s complicated.”

“Aren’t all relationships? It took 3 months before I was able to call Hector my boyfriend,” Krystal begins removing Delphine’s black polish. “Sometimes the line between casually dating and full-blown relationship can be a bit blurry, but eventually you just know, you know?” Delphine nods along. “So what is it you do for a living, Delphine?”

“Oh, well, um, I’m in sales.”

“Ooh, perfect, I love buying. What do you sell?”

“Erm, I sell… vacuums,” she blurts awkwardly.

“Vacuums? You mean like those fancy ones that never lose suction?”

“I don’t know how fancy they are, but they haven’t lost suction so far.”

“Nice! So how is that you know Felix, do you supply vacuums to the hotel?”

“No, I’m just a guest here. Felix has been really nice and offered to help me out after he saw how unprepared I was for this dinner.”

“Yeah, he’s great like that. And to think he used to be a rentboy.”

“I’m sorry, a what?”

“Don’t tell him I told you, but,” Krystal lowers her voice to a whisper, “Felix used to hustle for a living.”

“You’re lying.”

“No,” Krystal crosses herself, “I swear to the goddess upstairs. He told me once over drinks. He got a little wasted and it just came pouring out. It was something he got into as a teenager in London just trying to get by. Eventually, he earned enough to come here, got a job as a bellhop at this very establishment, and then worked his way up to manager.”

“Wow, that’s, wow,” Delphine marvels.

“You know what else is wow?”

“What?”

“Your nails, if I do say so myself.”

Delphine glances down at her now vibrant red nails, “Krystal, you are amazing. This is the best manicure I’ve ever had.”

“Tell your friends.”

“I definitely will.”

“Now let’s get you to hair and makeup.”

Two hours later, Delphine is spun around in her chair by her hairstylist, Zoie. Delphine’s mouth drops open at the sight of herself, her hair now in an intricate braided updo, her lips red and lashes popping, “I look so…so…”

“Stunning, darling, I think the word you’re looking for is stunning,” Felix lauds as he comes up behind her.

“Thank you all so much.”

“We had a very pretty canvas to work on,” Krystal proclaims.

“You better go put your dress on,” Felix looks at his watch, “it’s nearly 6.”

“Thank you,” Delphine hugs the girls and kisses Felix on the cheek.

“Okay, okay, please don’t smear your makeup.” He shoos her towards the bathroom, “Go.”

———

Cosima exits the office bathroom clad in a sleek, form-fitting red dress, her hair up in a bun, her trademark winged eyeliner looking sharp.

“Cosima,” Leekie calls out, causing her to jump and clutch her heart.

“Geez, Leekie, don’t sneak up on me like that.”

“What are you going to say to Kellerman about the contract?”

“Like I said in the meeting, I just have a few questions about their proposal.”

“Cosima, nobody else is going to offer us what they are for the distribution rights. Please, don’t screw this up.”

“Don’t screw it up? Really? I’ve been working on this drug for the last seven years, I’m not about to rush into a deal just so you can add another car to your garage.”

He shakes his head, “Please just listen to what Jason has to say and don’t bite his head off.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“So who is this mystery date you’re bringing to dinner?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a mystery, now would it?” Cosima walks out of the office, leaving Leekie grimacing in her wake.

———

Delphine steps out of the bathroom and clears her throat.

“Well, well, my dear, don’t you clean up real nice?” Felix raves.

“You think the dress is okay?”

“Okay? Darling, you look smashing.”

Krystal whistles at her, “Look at you, hot mama. I was right, your girlfr- um, lady friend, is going to get one look at you and become a puddle on the floor.”

“Thank you, Krystal,” Delphine blushes. “Felix, can you?” she points to her back and Felix zips her up.

“Absolute perfection. Shall we head to the lobby? Cosima should be arriving shortly.”

“Yes. Thank you again, Krystal, Zoie.”

“It was our pleasure,” Krystal smiles brightly. “Have fun!”

Felix walks Delphine to the lobby, “Felix, thank you so much. I feel like Cinderella.”

“I suppose that makes me your fairy godfather.”

“The best fairy godfather of them all,” she gives him a hug.

“Don’t wrinkle the dress,” Felix says as he extricates himself from her embrace. “Go on,” he points her towards the bar, “why don’t you go wait over there, I’ll alert Cosima to your location when she arrives.”

As she approaches the bar, many sets of eyes fall upon her. She takes a seat and the man beside her leans in close, “Can I buy you a drink?”

“No, thank you, I’m waiting for someone,” Delphine replies, realizing this is the first time she’s turned down a man at a bar in a very long time.

The limo pulls up to the front of the hotel. “Martin, wait here, I’ll be right back,” Cosima tells the driver before letting herself out and rushing into the hotel.

As soon as Cosima enters the lobby, the desk clerk points her out to Felix, who rushes to intercept before she gets to the elevator.

“Ms. Niehaus,” Felix calls out, causing her to stop in her tracks and turn towards him. “I’m Felix Dawkins, the hotel manager, we spoke earlier.”

“Oh, yeah, hey, nice to finally meet you,” they shake hands. “Is everything okay with Delphine? You let her back in the room I hope.”

“Yes, everything is fine. I just wanted to let you know that she is waiting for you at the bar,” he points the way.

“Oh, cool, thanks.”

“Have a nice evening, Ms. Niehaus.”

“Cosima. Please call me Cosima.”

“Have a nice evening, Cosima.”

“Thanks, Felix, you too.”

Cosima enters the bar, glancing around for Delphine. Suddenly, a woman at the bar turns, her eyes instantly meeting Cosima’s, she smiles and waves. The wind is just about knocked out of Cosima at the sight before her. She’s paralyzed, utterly unable to move, as she stares at the heavenly creature in a knee-length, black and white dress approaching her.

“Bonsoir, ma chérie,” Delphine greets her with a kiss to both cheeks. “You look très magnifique,” she compliments, looking the smaller girl over.

“You look très magna, uh, really great yourself. Really. Great.”

“Merci,” Delphine responds as they stand there, in the middle of the bar, admiring each other. “Shall we get going?” Delphine finally asks.

“Yeah, yeah, totally, your chariot awaits,” Cosima extends her arm and Delphine takes it as they leave the bar and walk through the lobby.

Delphine smiles at Felix, who offers her a wink as he watches them exit the hotel.

Martin rushes to open the back door to the limo as they approach.

“Is this yours?” Delphine asks, looking around the interior.

“No, this is the hotel’s limo. My office secured its use for me this week.”

“It’s very nice.”

“Yeah, I guess. Hey, I’m sorry, again, about this afternoon, I was so stupid not to leave a key.”

“It’s okay, it all worked out, I have one now.”

“Good, good.”

“So, about this dinner, who are we going to say I am to you?”

“I guess girlfriend, if you’re okay with that. If not, we can just say we’re friends.”

“No, girlfriend is fine.”

“Okay, great,” Cosima grins.

“Who will we be dining with this evening?”

“Jason Kellerman and his wife, Marci. Jason’s company put in a sizable bid to be the distributor for my cancer drug. Basically, this dinner is to help sway me in their direction. My business partner, Aldous Leekie, keeps advocating for them, but I’m not totally sold on them yet.”

When they arrive at the restaurant, the rest of their party is already at the table.

“Cosima, wonderful to see you again,” Jason jumps out of his seat to shake Cosima’s hand.

“You, too, Jason. This is my girlfriend, Delphine. Delphine, this is Jason Kellerman.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Delphine. This is my wife, Marci, and my nephew, Ramon. Ramon has recently been promoted to VP of Distribution at the company.”

“It’s very nice to meet you all,” Delphine smiles as she shakes everyone’s hands.

“Do I detect a French accent?” Jason asks.

Delphine nods, “Oui, I’m from France.”

“Oh, I love France,” Marci beams.

Ramon takes Delphine’s hand, placing a kiss atop it, “Lovely to meet you, mademoiselle.”

“Merci,” she smiles, gently pulling her hand away while Cosima glares at him.

Ramon pulls a chair out for Delphine, as Jason does the same for Cosima.

“So, how did you two meet?” Marci asks.

“We met in Paris, actually. I was there on business two years ago and ran into Delphine at the Louvre. Literally ran into her, almost knocked over the Venus de Milo in the process. That would have been a very expensive trip. Anyway, I asked Delphine to drinks to make up for almost causing her to destroy a masterpiece and we had a bit of a whirlwind romance,” Cosima lies. “We reconnected recently through Facebook, of all places. Delphine contacted me about three months ago to say she was living in LA now and I came down to visit and we immediately picked back up with the same rapport and chemistry we had back then. It was almost as if no time at all had passed since we first met.”

“That sounds so romantic,” Marci coos.

“It really was,” Delphine nods, continuing with the fabrication. “Cosima is still as charming as ever.”

“Are you a scientist, too, Delphine?” Jason inquires.

“No, she’s a kindergarten teacher,” Cosima quickly answers.

“That must be so much fun, being around little ones all day,” Marci observes. “I’m actually school board trustee in our district. Where do you teach?”

“Oh, um—” Delphine freezes.

“It’s summer,” Cosima interjects, “Delphine has been interviewing around town before the fall semester starts, but now that I’ve found her again, I don’t want to let her go. You know how long distance relationships are, they never work, so I’m trying desperately to convince her to come back to San Francisco with me and look for work there.”

“Oh,” Marci clutches her pearls, “that is just the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I hope it works out for you both.”

“Yeah,” Cosima smiles at Delphine, “so do I.”

“Well, I hope our talk tonight won’t bore you, Delphine. As Cosima probably told you, my company wishes to become the distributor of her new drug.”

“Yes, she has mentioned that. I find it all very fascinating, so I don’t anticipate being bored.”

“Wonderful, shall we order first?” Jason gets the attention of their waiter.

They make small talk as the wine is poured and they wait for their food to arrive. Delphine answers all of Marci’s questions about life in France with anecdotes about the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Elysées. A permanent smile is fixed upon Cosima’s face as she listens to her date speak.

Once their food is served, talk turns to business and that smile quickly fades.

Jason wipes his mouth with a napkin before addressing Cosima, “My lawyer says you expressed concern about the contract this morning.”

Cosima finishes chewing the food in her mouth, “Yes, I do have some concerns.”

“Let’s hear them,” he implores.

“For starters, the price point you’re proposing placing the drug on the market for. It’s rather exorbitant, don’t you think?”

“I think it’s in line with prices for other drugs of a similar class.”

“And you’re not at all trying to take advantage of the fact that our patent protects against copycat drugs for the next 20 years?”

“Not at all, we’ve done extensive research and feel the price is perfectly reasonable.”

“What about the people that can’t afford the drug? The people without insurance? The people with high deductibles or shitty drug plans? This is a drug that could prolong lives, relieve immense suffering. You make no accommodation in your proposal for those people. I just don’t see how you think that’s right.”

“Right? Is this going to become a discussion of ethics and morals now, Cosima?” Jason raises his voice. “Bottom line, this is business and business is about making money. What about the amount we are paying you for the drug? And the percentage on the back end we’ve offered? Don’t you think we want to recoup our investment and then some?”

“Yes, and I think you knew you’d have us against the wall with that bid.”

“That is how this industry operates, Cosima. You’ve been at this long enough, don’t start acting naive now.”

“I understand that is how this industry works, Jason,” she practically spits, “I just don’t know if I’m comfortable with your plans for my drug.”

“Then I suggest you get comfortable or risk losing this deal. I’d love to see you try to explain that to your board,” Jason states emphatically. At that, Cosima gives up responding and the table goes eerily quiet. The meal continues in awkward silence, with Cosima pushing her food around, refusing to glance up from her plate, while Delphine looks at her with concern. Eventually, the meal ends with Jason picking up the check and lifeless goodbyes being exchanged.

Cosima stares out the window on the ride back to the hotel as Delphine steals looks at her solemn face. Any attempts at conversation are met with shrugs and incoherent mumbles. They continue like that as they make their way somberly up to the penthouse. Once inside, Cosima opens a bottle of red wine that’s been left waiting for them. She pours a glass for Delphine, followed by one for herself. Delphine takes her drink and walks out onto the balcony, admiring the view of the darkened skyline. She turns to find Cosima standing by the glass doors, watching her.

“It’s such a beautiful, clear night, I can even make out the Hollywood sign from here,” Delphine states. “Do you want to join me?”

Cosima shakes her head, “No.”

Delphine walks over to her, “Cosima, do you want to talk about what happened at dinner?”

“Not really,” Cosima takes a sip of her wine.

“Is there anything I can do to improve your mood?” Delphine asks suggestively as she strokes Cosima’s cheek.

“No,” Cosima pulls her face away, “actually, I think I just need to go clear my head. Don’t wait up.” Cosima puts down her glass of wine and walks out the door, leaving a perplexed Delphine behind.

After about 45 minutes of watching reruns of _The Golden Girls_ , waiting for Cosima to return, Delphine strips down to the slip under her dress and gets into bed, falling asleep within minutes. When she wakes up two hours later, she’s surprised to find that Cosima has still not returned. She grabs her phone to dial Cosima before realizing she doesn’t even have her number. She then notices the phone sitting, abandoned, on the couch, anyhow. She throws on her fluffy hotel robe, grabs her key card, and heads to the elevator.

“Colin,” Delphine starts as soon as the doors open, “do you know if Cosima took the limo somewhere?”

“No, but you may want to check the basement,” Colin whispers, as if he’s revealing something he shouldn’t be.

“The basement?”

“Yes,” he pushes B and the elevator descends. Once they reach the bottom, Colin points to the left and Delphine steps off the elevator.

“Thank you.” As she walks down the darkened hallway, she hears music and follows the sound, stopping when she reaches the room the music is emanating from. She opens the door to find Cosima, with her back to her, standing in front of an enormous paint spattered canvas, an old boombox on the floor by her side. Delphine quietly approaches, careful not to interrupt as Cosima dips a paintbrush into yellow paint and then drips it onto the canvas. Delphine stands behind her, admiring her work.

After a little while of silently watching Cosima paint, Delphine tries, and fails, to stifle a sneeze, startling Cosima, who jumps at the sound. “I’m sorry.”

“Delphine, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for you. I was worried when you didn’t come back to the room.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.”

“I see that. How’d you get the hotel to set this up for you?”

“I didn’t. The manager, Felix, is an artist, this is his private paint room. I guess he uses it on breaks. I ran into him in the lobby after I left you and noticed a couple flecks of paint on his hands. I mentioned that I like to do drip painting and he showed me down here and said I could use the room tonight.”

“It looks really great. Where did you learn to paint like that?”

“My mother is an art teacher. She had books of the great artists all over the house. One day, I picked up a book on Pollock and felt an instant connection. My mom encouraged me to try to paint like that, she thought it would be a good creative outlet for me since I spent so much time with my eyes in a microscope. In a way, it sort of felt like an extension of what I was seeing through the microscope, like I was bringing the slides to life. I fell in love with it right away. So now, whenever I’m stressed, I paint and it helps calm me down.”

“I think I could use a hobby like that, but I am so not artistic.”

“For me, this isn’t so much about being artistic as it emoting with paint. I don’t approach it with a plan, I just sort of play some music and then let go.” Cosima extends the brush, “Why don’t you try?”

“No, I can’t, I don’t want to ruin your work.”

“You won’t ruin it, come on.”

“Okay,” Delphine takes the brush from her hand, dips it in the paint can, and mimics Cosima’s earlier action, dripping paint on the canvas. “Oh no,” she winces, “that was too much.”

“No, it’s fine,” Cosima assures, “there’s no wrong way to do this.”

“But you were much more fluid.”

“No, you’re just overthinking it. Here,” Cosima gets behind Delphine and covers her right hand with her own, “you need to loosen up a bit, relax your arm, and just splatter,” she guides Delphine’s hand over the canvas, the paint seamlessly dripping from the brush. “See?” Cosima releases her, “It’s that easy.”

Delphine continues on her own and starts getting into it, “This is really fun.”

“Try adding another color.”

Delphine peruses the tins and then chooses the red paint, “Don’t they sometimes just kind of flick the paint?”

“Yeah, try that if you want.”

Delphine dips a clean brush in the red paint then flicks her wrist, splattering paint on the canvas. “How’s that?”

“Good, keep going.”

Delphine dips her brush in the paint again, but she flicks her wrist a little too much and paint flies behind her, landing on Cosima’s face in the process. “Oh no, I am so sorry,” she laughs as Cosima wipes at her cheek, the paint transferring to her fingers and leaving a smear in its wake.

“You don’t sound sorry,” Cosima remarks as she bends down and picks up the paintbrush from the yellow paint can.

“I am, I’m very sorry,” Delphine swears.

“So am I.”

“For what?”

Cosima flicks her brush at Delphine, getting flecks of yellow all over her face, “For that.”

“Excuse me,” Delphine wipes her forehead, “mine was an accident.”

“An accident you seemed to enjoy.”

“Not as much as I’m going enjoy this,” Delphine flicks her brush at Cosima, splattering her face in red dots. “Yeah, that felt good. I think red is your color.”

“Not as much as yellow is yours,” Cosima responds with another flick, this time getting paint on Delphine’s robe.

“Cosima! You’ve ruined my robe.”

“Oops, my bad,” Cosima puts her paintbrush down, then takes Delphine’s from her. She reaches for the belt on Delphine’s robe, untying it and exposing the black slip underneath, “Guess you should probably take it off then.” Cosima slowly lifts the robe so it falls down Delphine’s arms, pooling on the floor.

“Your dress is a mess, too.”

Cosima glances down, “No, it’s not.”

Delphine dips her fingers in the yellow paint and wipes them along the front of Cosima’s dress, “It is now.”

Cosima shrugs, then reaches down and pulls the dress over her head, leaving her in just her bra and panties. She then looks at Delphine with a devilish twinkle in her eye, “One, two, three, four, I declare a paint war.”

“What?” Delphine asks with confusion as Cosima bends down and grabs a paintbrush, then runs it down the length of Delphine’s arm. “Not fair,” Delphine complains, “I wasn’t prepared.” She grabs the other brush and counter attacks, covering Cosima’s belly in paint.

“Well, you’re armed and dangerous now,” Cosima responds as she drops her brush and dips her hands in paint, then places them on Delphine’s cheeks, leaving yellow hand prints behind. “That’s a good look for you,” Cosima compliments.

“Thanks, I think you can use a little more color,” Delphine picks up the red paint can and splashes Cosima’s legs.

“Hey,” Cosima yelps, “now you’re just wasting paint.”

“Oh, _I’m_ wasting paint?”

“Yes, put the can down,” Cosima goes to grab the tin, but Delphine pulls it away, causing Cosima to slip on the wet paint below her feet, she reaches for Delphine to steady herself but manages to take her down with her, the rest of the red paint spilling out around them in the process. “Now you’ve done it.”

“Me?” Delphine protests. “You pulled me down.”

“I wouldn’t have fallen if you hadn’t spilled that paint all over. And, for that, you must pay,” Cosima says ominously as she rolls on top of Delphine.

“Pay?” Delphine asks, bewildered, just before Cosima begins smearing her wet, colorful hands all over Delphine. “Cosima!” Delphine yelps and then starts giggling as she coats her own hands in the paint and returns the favor, running her hands up and down Cosima’s arms and torso.

Cosima pulls back, laughing, while Delphine’s chest rises and falls with her own giggles. Her laughter subsides when she notices Cosima staring down at her. “What is it? Do I have paint up my nose?”

“I’m pretty sure you have it up every orifice,” Cosima smirks before quickly sobering, “but it’s just, how do you still manage to look so damn beautiful covered in paint?”

“Oh please, I must look insane.”

“Insanely gorgeous,” Cosima declares with a lustful look in her eyes before leaning down and kissing Delphine’s neck while gently grinding against her. When Delphine squirms, Cosima quickly stops her gyrations. “I’m sorry, did I do something wrong?”

“No, it’s just the paint is making this slip stick in some uncomfortable places,” Delphine reaches her hand down and tries to peel the fabric away from her butt.

“I think I can help rectify that,” Cosima slides down Delphine’s body, stopping once she reaches the hem of her slip. Delphine opens her legs, allowing Cosima to fit into the space between them. Cosima lifts the hem of the garment, revealing a surprising lack of underwear underneath. Her breath hitches at the unexpected discovery as she continues to lift the slip, exposing Delphine’s tight abs. Cosima leans down and places kisses upon her stomach as she works the slip over her perky breasts, then up to her neck and, as Delphine leans forward, over her head. Cosima bunches the garment into a ball and places it under Delphine’s head, then kisses her way down Delphine’s body, nestling back between Delphine’s legs, and running her hands down Delphine’s wet thighs. She looks back up into Delphine’s eyes, “Is this okay?” Delphine bites her lip and nods. Cosima leans forward, hooking Delphine’s legs over her shoulders, and kissing any inch of space not covered in paint. Cosima grips Delphine’s hips as her face inches closer to her center, her nose brushing over tiny blonde curls teasingly. Finally, Delphine reaches down and grips Cosima’s head, urging her forward as her need to be touched overwhelms her. Cosima takes the hint, sinking her tongue into Delphine, who growls at the new sensation, her head falling back against her makeshift pillow. Cosima runs her tongue up and down her folds before circling her clit and then latching on with her lips, firing up the increasingly sensitive bud as Delphine writhes against the wet canvas. Cosima works her for several agonizing minutes, alternating her rhythm between languid and hurried. Building pressure and then relieving it, as if not ready to let this moment end. Eventually, sensing Delphine’s immense need for release, Cosima flattens her tongue, hitting Delphine in just the right spot to cause her to combust. Delphine’s moans of ecstasy echo throughout the room as Cosima wrings every ounce of pleasure out of her. Delphine collapses, limp against the canvas while Cosima glides up her slick body and lays her head on Delphine’s chest, listening as her erratic heartbeat slows to a gentle patter.

“Cosima?”

“Mmmhmm?”

“I’m sorry for wrecking your artwork.”

“I’m not.”


	3. Making a Splash

As the morning sun streams in through the windows, Delphine wakes up with Cosima’s arm draped across her stomach. She rolls over to face Cosima, whose eyes are still shut. Delphine admires the peaceful look on her face, a far cry from how she looked at the end of dinner last night. After a few minutes of silent staring, Cosima’s eyes flutter open. 

“Hey,” Cosima grins.

“Hi.”

“You watching me sleep?”

“Kind of.”

“See anything you like?”

“Maybe,” Delphine shrugs.

“Maybe?” Cosima repeats as she leans forward, kissing Delphine’s shoulder.

“Cosima?”

“Yeah?” Cosima mumbles, her face buried in Delphine’s neck.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It?”

“What happened last night.”

Cosima pulls back to look at Delphine’s face, “Last night was incredible.”

“Yes, it was,” Delphine smiles, “but I meant what happened earlier.”

“Oh, that. I’m sorry I was so moody, I just really don’t like that guy. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, though.”

“You didn’t take it out on me, you just totally zoned out and then walked out on me. I was concerned about you.”

“I guess when I get like that, I just don’t want anyone else to have to deal with me, so I sort of isolate myself.”

“You can talk to me, if you want, if you need a sounding board.”

“Is therapist part of the job description?”

“It could be.”

“Okay,” Cosima rolls back onto her pillow, looking up at Delphine. “I don’t know how I feel about selling Kellerman the rights to distribute my drug. I just don’t think he has the best of intentions, but my business partner, with support from the board, is pushing me to make the deal because the money they’re offering is more than any other company we’ve had discussions with. But it’s like you mentioned at breakfast, about your family being in debt after your father’s treatment, I want everybody to have access to this drug who needs it. I don’t want a family to go bankrupt in order to try and survive this illness, they’re suffering enough. This drug could be their only recourse, the one thing to give them hope. The price point Kellerman would be placing on it is extreme, it’s just not fair when this is the only drug right now that can help. I didn’t start working on developing this treatment so that I could make the rich richer, while robbing the sick. I did it to help people and I think that’s the last thing Kellerman cares about.”

“So how would you get the drug distributed without them?”

“Well, that’s the thing, there’s this other company, Hendrix Pharmaceuticals, they’re not nearly as large as Kellerman, and Leekie totally dismissed them as anxiety med peddlers, but, I don’t know, I have a good feeling about them. And they can’t offer us as much money, but they have plans to stock free clinics and reduce the general cost of the medicine to the public. And they also seem like genuinely good people.” Cosima’s face lights up as she talks about them.

“If you really want to go with them, then maybe you should.”

“If only I could get the board to approve it. I need a two-thirds majority to okay the deal.”

“I’m sure you can convince them.”

“What makes you so sure of that?” 

“You’re very persuasive.”

“Oh am I?”

“You are,” Delphine nods. 

Cosima brushes her fingers over Delphine’s face, “You’ve still got some paint on your cheek.”

“Even after spending an hour in the shower?”

“We didn’t exactly do much scrubbing.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Hey, I really did drop the soap.”

“Between my legs?”

“The soap knows what it wants.”

“I hope we cleaned that room up better than we cleaned ourselves.”

“I’m sure we’d have gotten kicked out of this hotel by now had Felix found out we were having sex in his art room. You don’t think he has cameras in there, do you?”

“Mon dieu, I hope not.”

“That would be some surveillance footage,” Cosima giggles.

“Yes, it certainly would,” Delphine laughs.

“I hope that paint was non-toxic.”

“I think we’d be dead by now if it wasn’t.”

“Good point. Did I tell you how absolutely gorgeous you were in that dress last night. Not that you don’t look hot in whatever you’re wearing,” Cosima peeks under the sheet, “or not wearing, but that dress was like next level. What else did you buy yesterday?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? Why nothing?”

“The woman at the store I went to was horrible and wouldn’t help me. She treated me like trash, told me I should be shopping at Frederick’s of Hollywood.”

“Are you kidding me?” 

Delphine shakes her head, “No. It soured me on the whole shopping experience. I wouldn’t have even had the dress and shoes yesterday if not for Felix.” 

“Get up, we’re going out,” Cosima hops out of bed.

“What? Cosima where are we going? I don’t have anything to wear.” 

“That’s why we’re going shopping. Here, put this shirt on, it’s the longest one I’ve got,” Cosima hands her an oversized Berkeley t-shirt. “I’ve also got a pair of sweats in here somewhere.” Cosima rummages through the drawer before handing them over. “They’ll probably be more like capris on you.”

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Delphine assures as she gets dressed. “Is this the school you went to?”

“Yeah, undergrad. Ooh that looks good on you,” Cosima reaches up and frees Delphine’s curls from the shirt. “Perfect. Let’s go.” 

“Wait!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Aren’t you forgetting something,” she points to Cosima’s naked body.

“Whoops, better dress myself first.”

———

They walk down Rodeo Drive hand in hand, “Cosima, I don’t want to be here. They’re all assholes on this block.” 

Cosima ignores her protests and walks Delphine into a shop. “Excuse me, who’s the manager of this store?” 

“That would be me,” a man answers.

“And your name is?”

“Ferdinand.”

“Hello, Ferdinand, my name is Cosima, this beautiful woman is Delphine, and this is my credit card,” she hands over her Amex. “I want you to help Delphine find and buy whatever she wants. Is that cool?”

“Yes,” Ferdinand takes the card, “that’s very cool.”

“Wonderful!” Cosima pulls Delphine aside, “Do you have your phone on you?”

“Yes,” Delphine hands it to Cosima, who enters her number, then dials herself, ending the call once it rings. 

“I have a meeting to get to, but I want you to call me if you have any problems or if anybody doesn’t give you the respect you deserve. Okay?” 

Delphine nods, “Thank you, Cosima.” 

“No problem. I should be back at the hotel around 6, I’ll see you tonight.” Cosima gives her a kiss on the cheek before exiting the store, Delphine watching her as she goes. 

“That’s quite the girlfriend you’ve got there,” Ferdinand observes.

“Yes,” Delphine agrees, “she’s very special.”

“Shall we?” Ferdinand points towards the racks of clothing. Delphine nods and begins perusing the wares. 

“This is nice, don’t you think?” she asks him of a black blazer with white leather trim collar.

“It’s exquisite, but wouldn’t you prefer more summery clothing?”

“Oh, you’re right, but I think I’ll try this on just in case.”

“I’ll start a dressing room for you,” he takes the blazer and hangs it up while she continues browsing.

“Ooh, I like this,” she holds up a white horse print blouse in front of her. “What do you think?”

“Lovely,” he smiles and she hands it over.

By the time she finishes wading though the store, she’s got a dressing room with barely enough room to fit her in it amongst all the clothing. She then proceeds to try on, and come out in, every single outfit to get Ferdinand’s opinion. 

“This one?” she inquires as she shows off a black draped sleeveless top paired with black skinny jeans and brown high-heeled knee-high boots.

“You look splendid.”

Next, she tries on a red suede skirt and yet another sleeveless black blouse. “How about this?”

“Sublime.”

This continues for another hour and a half until Delphine is done trying every single thing on and Ferdinand rings up all her purchases.

“Thank you, Ferdinand.”

“It was my pleasure,” he smiles. As soon as she leaves the store, he collapses in a chair, exhausted. 

Arms full of shopping bags, Delphine walks down Rodeo Drive wearing a white skirt suit with black trim and matching wide brim hat that she just purchased. She stops in her tracks when she spots the dress she had admired yesterday. She enters the store and looks around, locating the rude salesgirl, who’s currently assisting another shopper. 

“Hi there,” she looks at the girl’s name tag, “Shay, is it?”

“Yes,” the girl nods. 

“Do you remember me from yesterday, the customer you refused to help?”

Shay doesn’t respond. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Do you work on commission?”

“I do.”

Delphine holds up her shopping bags in the girl’s face, “Well that was a big fucking mistake, now wasn’t it? Au revoir, bitch,” Delphine walks out of the store with an enormous grin on her face, leaving Shay with her mouth agape. The other customer thinks better of letting Shay help her and leaves the store as well. 

Delphine returns to the hotel and a bellhop rushes to help her with her packages. Felix looks up from the front desk and sees Delphine walking past him. 

“Well, well, look at you,” Felix admires. “I see your latest shopping excursion was much more successful than your last.”

“Yes, much better. Cosima helped.”

“Did she now? It looks like you’ve got quite the catch there.”

“She’s not a catch, Felix, she’s a client,” Delphine whispers.

“Clients can’t be catches?”

“They’re not catches because they’re not with me to get caught, they’re with me to get off.”

“Is that so? They all just want to get off? Even Cosima?”

“I mean, no, not Cosima. Cosima is different from anyone I’ve ever met. She doesn’t play by the same rules. She gives and doesn’t expect anything in return.” Delphine looks up to find Felix staring at her with a grin. “But, look, I’ve never been with a woman before, so maybe that’s why it’s so different.”

“Maybe. Or perhaps it’s this particular woman.”

“Felix, I’m not interested in anything with Cosima other than spending this week with her and getting paid for getting her laid.”

“Whatever you say, darling. Oh, before I forget,” he reaches under the desk and grabs a plastic bag.

“What’s this?” she asks as he hands it to her.

“Just a piece of lingerie I found covered in paint beside the trash can in my studio downstairs. Definitely not my size.” 

Delphine rolls her eyes at the smug grin on his face before taking the bag and rushing to catch up to the bellhop.

After bringing all her shopping bags into the room, the bellhop earns himself a nice tip. Once he leaves, Delphine starts hanging up all her new clothing in the bedroom closet. She freezes when she spots the dress Cosima was wearing the night they met, her mind replaying the moment she unzipped it as she undressed Cosima. She leans forward, breathing in the scent of the dress, a scent that’s distinctly Cosima.

Suddenly, her eyes pop open, “Delphine, what is wrong with you? She’s a client, that’s all. A very nice client with soft hands and a very skilled tongue.” A small smile forms on her lips as she remembers the events of last night. “No,” she shakes her head, “you’re a professional, act professional.”

———

“Cosima,” Leekie calls out, chasing her down the hall.

“The meeting went well I thought,” she notes as he catches up to her. “So we’re all set for the vote on Saturday then?”

“Yes, the meeting went fine, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What is it? I’m in a rush to get back to my hotel.”

“Why? Is Delphine waiting there for you?”

“How do you know her name?”

“I got a call from Jason Kellerman this morning, he told me all about your dinner freak out.”

“I did not freak out.”

“Well, whatever you want to call it, it did not leave a positive impression on him. We can’t lose this deal, Cosima. The whole company is counting on it. You need to make things right with him.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“He’ll be at the Children’s Hospital fundraiser on Thursday, please make nice.”

“I’m always nice.”

“Are you planning to bring this mysterious, recently reunited, past lover of yours to the event? And when exactly did you go on a business trip to France?”

“How much gossiping did you and Kellerman do about my love life?”

“Cosima, who is this girl?”

“You’ll meet her on Thursday. I’m not answering any more questions tonight. She’s waiting for me and I’m running late.”

“You’re always running late.”

“Goodnight, Leekie,” Cosima turns and exits the office.

———

“Delphine?” Cosima calls out as soon as she enter the suite.

“I’m in the bedroom,” Delphine responds.

“Hey, do you wanna go ou—,” Cosima pauses when she gets a load of Delphine, sitting in the armchair wearing nothing but one of Cosima’s scarves wrapped around her neck. “Whoa!”

“Welcome home.”

“Uh, yeah, this is quite the welcome. Why aren’t you wearing anything? Please tell me you bought clothing today. They didn’t give you any trouble, did they?”

“No, I bought plenty of clothing, but I realized, after all that shopping, that I didn’t get you anything. So this,” she motions her hand up and down her naked body, “is your present.”

“But there’s not much to unwrap and unwrapping is kinda the best part,” Cosima teases.

“If you’re unhappy, I can return your gift.” 

“No, no, no, let’s not be hasty, unwrapping is overrated anyway,” Cosima moves closer to Delphine, picking up her left leg and slowly kissing her way down it. She stops at the top of her thigh, “You know what I’d really like to do right now?”

“What?”

“Take a bath.”

Delphine jumps up, grabbing Cosima’s hand and pulling her towards the bathroom.

They lay together in the tub, surrounded by bubbles, with Cosima snug between Delphine’s legs, as Delphine rubs the soapy loofa up and down her back, then down her arms.

Delphine runs the sponge over the inside of Cosima’s right wrist, “Tell me about this.”

“It’s a nautilus, I got it as sort of a gift to myself when I got accepted into the University of Minnesota for grad school. I had doodled it on the back of a notebook one day in bio class. It’s the golden ratio, a mathematical pattern that just repeats itself in nature, in flower petals and honeybees, in the stars in the galaxy, and in every molecule of our DNA. It’s incredible, really, when you think about it, the pattern is everywhere.” Cosima reaches for a few strands of Delphine’s hair, which are brushing along her neck, “Even in these curls of yours.” 

“And this one?” Delphine rests her chin on Cosima’s shoulder and caresses the inside of her left forearm.

“This is a dandelion in its seed stage, with the seeds blowing away after having had a wish made on it. It’s sort of a childhood habit of mine.”

“You made wishes on dandelions?”

“All the time.”

“What did you wish for?”

“Oh, lots of things.”

“Did they come true?”

Cosima nods, “The big ones did.”

“Yeah, like what?”

“For starters, Louis came home.”

“Who’s Louis?”

“He was our dog. My parents got him for me for my 6th birthday. He was such a great little guy. But one day, these delivery men were carrying in a couch and left the front door open and Louis got out. He was about 2 at the time. When I was walking home from school that day, I spotted my parents outside, just sort of wandering around. As I got closer, I heard them yelling for Louis. I panicked and ran over to them, tears already falling from my eyes. They told me what happened and I immediately turned and started running around yelling his name, but he didn’t come, and he always came when I called his name. I cried myself to sleep that night. Then, the next day, we made posters and hung them up all over the neighborhood. Three days went by and nothing, no calls, no sign of Louis. Then, as I was walking to school, I saw a dandelion in full seed stage looking so puffy, almost like a little snowball. I bent down and plucked it from the ground, held it up in front of my face and made a wish that Louis was okay and that he’d come back home. Then I blew on it and watched as the seeds were carried away by the wind. It was kind of beautiful. That afternoon, I got back home and was sitting in the kitchen eating an eskimo pie while doing my homework, when, all the sudden, I heard scratching at the back door. I jumped up, ran over, pulled it open and there he was. He was a little dirty, but other than that, he was totally fine. I scooped him up in my arms and he licked my face like crazy. I could tell he was just as happy to see me as I was to see him. I don’t know where he went or what he did on his little adventure, but he never ran out the door on his own ever again. And I always felt it was that wish on the dandelion that brought him home. So, after that, whenever something major was going on, I’d find a dandelion, make a wish, and blow on it. My parents used to laugh and say, ‘there goes our lucky little dandelion.’ When I was 11, my mom made me an ink drawing of a dandelion with its seeds blowing away that I hung up in my bedroom. And when I turned 18, I got that exact drawing made into this tattoo.”

“That is such a beautiful story. It’s nice that your tattoos have such deep meaning for you, especially that one. What made you name your dog Louis?”

“It was after Louis Pasteur. Even at 6, I was serious about science.”

“A Frenchman,” Delphine grins.

“Yeah, actually, he was a French bulldog, which was why I chose Louis over some of my other favorite scientists. Although, I did almost name him Pierre.”

“For Pierre Curie?”

“You got it, but Pierre just didn’t sound right for a dog. The way you know is you gotta yell the dog’s name and yelling Pierre didn’t work as well as yelling Louis. It helps having that long E sound at the end so you can really draw it out.”

“I agree. I’m glad my name doesn’t end that way.”

“But you still have the long E in there, so it’d be like, Delphiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, why’d you pee on the rug?”

“Hey!” Delphine swats her arm. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sure you’d be a much better behaved puppy than that. It’s pretty ironic though, huh, that I had a totally French dog? I didn’t even think of it until you said that.”

“Ironic how?”

“I used to take baths with him, too.”

Delphine snorts, “I guess you’ve got a knack with the French.”

“Apparently,” Cosima smiles. 

“Even the word dandelion is derived from the French, dent de lion, which means lion’s tooth.”

“Damn, that’s a lot more French in my life than I ever imagined. Guess I really know how to pick ‘em,” she winks. “So the shopping trip was a success?”

“Yes, Ferdinand was very helpful and I got some lovely outfits.”

“Great, I can’t wait to see them.”

“Thank you for helping me with that this morning.”

“It was my pleasure. People can be such dicks, you gotta just impose yourself sometimes and demand respect.”

“I told her off.”

“Told who off?”

“The salesgirl from yesterday.”

Cosima turns her head with a grin, “You did not?”

Delphine nods, “I couldn’t help myself.”

“Oh man, I wish I had seen that.”

“It was quite therapeutic,” Delphine smiles. “How’d your meeting go?”

“Oh, just wonderfully. Leekie lectured me about how badly he heard dinner went and how I’m ruining this deal for everybody.”

“Did you tell him you wanted to pursue the other drug company?”

“No way, not yet. I think I need to meet with them first. Maybe I should invite them to lunch tomorrow, hear them out some more.”

“That sounds like the perfect opportunity to schmooze them.”

“Did you just say schmooze?”

“Is that not the right word?” Delphine worries.

“No, it’s the right word, it’s just the way you said it, with your accent, it was kinda cute. You’re cute,” Cosima continues, causing Delphine to blush.

Delphine smiles, “Am I?”

Cosima nods, “Very cute.”

“How cute am I now?” Before Cosima can respond, Delphine splashes her in the face.

Cosima’s mouth hangs wide open in shock at the water assault while Delphine laughs at her sneak attack. Cosima twists around so her whole body is facing Delphine, “I’m rethinking the whole cute thing.” Cosima dunks her head in the tub, coming up with her cheeks puffed out.

“No,” Delphine shouts, her hands jutting out in front of her.

“Yes,” Cosima grabs her hands, then pulls her arms apart so they’re no longer protecting her, and proceeds to shoot the entire contents of her mouth at Delphine’s face. 

“Cosima,” Delphine yelps.

“What, baby can dish it out but she can’t take it?”

“Oh, baby can take it all right,” Delphine splashes an even bigger amount of water at Cosima who retaliates with a large splash of her own and soon they're engaged in a huge bathtub water fight that ends with them both hysterically laughing.

As their laughter dies down, Cosima’s eyes focus on Delphine’s breasts, which are peeking just above the water line.

“Ahem,” Delphine clears her throat, “my eyes are up here.”

Cosima glances up at Delphine’s face, “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“Oh yeah, about what?” 

“Have you ever had sex in a bathtub?” Cosima’s eyes sparkle mischievously.

“No and we are not doing that.”

“Why not? It could be fun.”

“It seems dangerous.”

“Says the girl who drives like a maniac. Now you’re worried about something being dangerous?”

“I’m an excellent driver.”

“And I’m a certified diver,” Cosima grins as she settles over Delphine, giving her a quick kiss on the nose before moving her mouth down to her bobbing bosom, while her hands reach under the water to grip Delphine’s ass. 

“Are you really?”

Cosima looks up at Delphine, “Nope. I really hope I don’t drown.” Cosima takes a deep breath and disappears under the water.

“That’s not funny, Cosima. Cosim- oh fuck!” Delphine shouts when she feels Cosima’s tongue. 

About 20 seconds later, Cosima surfaces, gasping for air, “Ok, maybe that wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.”

“I don’t know, minus the whole you could die part, it felt pretty good.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, but I don’t think I’m ready to die underwater with my head between your legs. I mean as far as causes of death go, that’s not a bad way to die, but I need to think of my parents, they’d be devastated.”

“Devastated that your head was between my legs?”

“No, they’d be totally cool with that, their only child dead part, not so much.”

“I can understand that. So now that you’ve got me all wound up, are you just gonna leave me this way or finish what you started?”

“Oh, I always finish what I start.” Cosima’s lips find purchase on Delphine’s neck as she releases her right hand from Delphine’s ass and runs it up and down her leg, playfully teasing at the apex of her thighs before sinking her fingers into Delphine, causing the blonde’s body to buck. Cosima grins against Delphine’s neck as her hand continues its motions. 

Delphine grips the side of the tub, small moans escaping her lips as Cosima nibbles and sucks on her neck while her fingers work her over. “Oh my god, Cosima,” she screams her eventual release, her legs involuntarily splashing water onto the floor as they thrash. Cosima removes her fingers and Delphine opens her eyes, finding the smaller girl hovering over her with a giant grin on her face. 

“That good, huh?”

“That was,” Delphine struggles to find the perfect word, “something.”

“Is that something good or something bad?”

“Oh good, very good. It’s just the feeling was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

“Really?”

Delphine nods, “Mmmhmm, it was pretty incredible actually.” Delphine places her hand just below Cosima’s neck and gently pushes her until her back is flush against the other side of the tub. She then runs her hand down Cosima’s chest, past her navel, and between her legs. She stares into Cosima’s eyes as she gently begins thrusting into her. 

“Oh, yeah,” Cosima nods, “that does feel good. Holy shit, that feels really, really good.”

Delphine increases her pace, causing Cosima to slide around a bit. Delphine leans forward, resting her forehead against Cosima’s, while her left hand wraps around Cosima’s leg to brace them both. With better leverage, Delphine pushes deeper into Cosima, curling her fingers just so to bring her over the edge. Cosima wraps an arm around Delphine’s back and pulls their bodies flush together as she comes.

“So?” Delphine asks, waiting for Cosima to catch her breath and say something.

“Rub a dub dub, I think I enjoy sex in the tub.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Delphine rolls her eyes as she release her grip on Cosima, stands up, steps out of the tub and towels off before putting on her bathrobe. She then helps Cosima out of the tub and dries her off, rubbing her hands up and down Cosima’s arms to warm her up. 

“No offense to my poor, departed Louis, but you’re a much better bath companion than he ever was.”

“That makes me so happy to hear,” Delphine laughs.

“What do you think about ordering room service tonight?” Cosima asks as she puts on her robe.

“I think that sounds like an excellent idea.” 

———

“Is all this cuddling part of the package?” Cosima wonders later as she lays in bed, cradled in Delphine’s arms.

“It is for $15,000.”

“It’s a nice perk.”

“I’m glad you approve since you’re the one who moved into spooning position on night one.”

“What? I did not. I woke up and found you holding me.”

“Only because you snuck into my arms and were too asleep for me to move you back to your side of the bed. Plus, you had a death grip on my arm.”

“Wait,” Cosima sits up and looks at Delphine, “are you saying this isn’t part of the deal and you want me to move over?”

“No, it’s part of the deal now since I’m used to it and it’s not so bad.”

“Not so bad? Don’t overdo it with the enthusiasm.”

“Oh shut up and lay down, I want to spoon you, you brat.”

“Good,” Cosima grins as she settles back down and nudges her backside flush against Delphine, who wraps an arm around her. “Hey, Delphine?”

“Yeah?”

“If I can arrange lunch with the Hendrixes tomorrow, will you come with me?”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Yeah, I mean, you were the only good part of the dinner with the Kellermans. They enjoyed talking to you a hell of a lot more than they liked talking to me. I’d like you to be with me, just in case things go south again, maybe you can help smooth things over, regale them with some French things?”

“French things?”

“Oui, all ze French things.”

Delphine snorts at Cosima’s attempt at a French accent, “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

“Merci.”

“De rien.”


	4. That Sinking Feeling

“They make really great waffles at this hotel, don’t they?” Cosima remarks as she takes a bite.

“Stop stalling, Cosima.”

“What do you mean? I’m enjoying this scrumptious breakfast.”

“Make the call,” Delphine holds out Cosima’s phone.

“Fine,” Cosima takes the phone, searches her contacts, then places the call.

“Hello,” a woman answers.

“Hi, is this Alison?”

“Yes it is, who’s calling?”

“This is Cosima, Cosima Niehaus.”

“Oh, hello Cosima, how are you?”

“I’m great. I was just calling to see if you and Donnie are free for lunch this afternoon. I thought we could talk more about your proposal without all the suits around.”

“Yes, that would be a lovely idea.”

“Great, how about La Scala in Beverly Hills at 1?”

“Actually, why don’t you come here?”

“Here?”

“To our house. I’ll whip something up and we can chat.”

“Um, well, my girlfriend was going to join us for lunch.”

“Bring her along.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

“Wonderful, I’ll text you the address. See you at 1, Cosima.”

“Yeah, see you then. Bye.”

“So?” Delphine asks after Cosima ends the call.

“So, it looks like you and I are having lunch at their house.”

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“No, it wasn’t. And now we have about 3 hours ’til we have to leave. Whatever will we do?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Go back to sleep.”

“Sleep?” Delphine gives her a suspicious look.

“Yeah… and maybe other things,” Cosima smirks.

———

“What should I wear to this lunch?” Delphine asks as they get out of bed for the second time this morning.

“Something casual, we don’t want this to seem too formal, it’s just a nice little get together.”

“How does this look?” Delphine holds up a pair of black skinny jeans and a black mesh tank.

“You wear a lot of black, huh?”

“I suppose, is that a problem?”

“No, not at all, you look great in black. I’m just learning your tastes. All your tastes,” she grins with her tongue poking out through her teeth.

“And what are you going to wear, something a little funky, I presume?”

“I was thinking of wearing this,” Cosima holds up a tie-dye print sleeveless dress.

“Yeah,” Delphine nods, “that works.”

———

“Where to, Ms. Niehaus?” Martin asks as he holds the limo door open for them.

“Call me Cosima, when you call me Ms. Niehaus, I keep expecting my mother to be standing behind me.”

“Sorry, Ms, um, Cosima.”

“It’s a work in progress.” She gets in the back seat, “We’re headed to 35 Black Oak Drive in Glendale.”

Martin plugs the address into the navigation system, “Got it.”

“You know, Martin, Delphine here is like a human GPS.”

“Is that so?”

“No, don’t listen to her. Cosima thinks anyone who knows how to get from point A to point B without winding up at point C is brilliant.”

“So you’re saying you don’t know how to get to Glendale?”

“Take Coldwater to the 101 to the Ventura Freeway,” Delphine rattles off.

“Martin, what did I tell you?”

“Very impressive, indeed.”

“See, he agrees, you’re a navigational genius, a regular Rand McNally.”

“You’re really stupid, you know that?”

“Compared to you, I’m barely Apple maps. I, too, would direct someone straight into the ocean.”

“If you didn’t wind up in there yourself.”

“Exactly.”

After driving for about 35 minutes, Martin exits the freeway in Glendale.

“Wait, Martin, stop here,” Delphine suddenly shouts.

“What’s wrong?” Cosima asks with worry as Martin pulls over. Delphine jumps out and Cosima hurries after her, “Where are you going?”

“Here,” Delphine points to a florist. “We can’t show up to lunch empty-handed.”

“Oh, good idea. See, what would I do without you?”

“Rudely attend the lunch without bringing a gift for the host.”

“That about sums it up.” Cosima watches as Delphine assembles a bouquet. “That’s gorgeous. Pink was a good choice, but I’m kinda surprised they’re not all black and white.”

“I don’t think black flowers would be very welcome.”

“No, you’re right, they’d probably take it as a threat. Then they’d poison our lunch and bury us in their garage to hide the evidence.”

“You’re very morbid.” Delphine hands the flowers to the cashier who ties the stems together and wraps the bouquet in cellophane. “Pay the man.”

“Yes, dear,” Cosima hands over her credit card.

A short time later, Martin pulls up in front of the two-story brick house. He gets out and opens the back door for Cosima and Delphine.

“Martin, why don’t you go get yourself some lunch,” Cosima hands him $40. “I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave.”

“Thank you, Cosima.”

“See you later, Martin.” Delphine starts down the walk, while Cosima remains unmoving at the top. “You coming?”

“Maybe this was a mistake.”

“Cosima, it wasn’t a mistake. You spoke so glowingly about them yesterday. Just talk to them and see how you feel about the whole thing after.”

“Yeah, okay,” Cosima nods, “you’re right, it’s just a talk.”

Delphine extends her hand and Cosima takes it as they walk to the front door.

Cosima rings the bell and a few seconds later it swings open, “Hi!”

“Hello there,” Cosima smiles at the little girl in a karate uniform.

“Gemma, what did I say about answering the door?”

“Wait for you or Daddy before opening it.”

“Remember that next time please, sweetie. You never know what kind of madman might be on the other side. Now go tell Daddy our guests are here.”

Gemma runs off, “Daddy…”

“Cosima, it is so nice to see you again,” Alison gives her a hug.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s much nicer to see me at your door than a madman.”

“Oh, you know, we have to make sure the kids are safe.”

“Of course. Alison, this is my girlfriend, Delphine.”

“Well isn’t she a beauty,” Alison admires.

Delphine blushes and extends her hand, “Nice to meet you, Alison. Thank you for having us over for lunch.”

“And French to boot! It’s my pleasure, Delphine,” Alison bypasses her hand to give her a hug.

“These are for you,” Delphine hands her the bouquet.

“Thank you, what a lovely arrangement. Pink lilies are my favorite! Please, come on in. Let me just get these in a vase.”

“You have a very lovely home,” Delphine praises as they walk through the house.

“I built it with my own two hands.”

“Oh, Donnie. Ignore him, ladies. We hired a contractor.”

“Donnie, great to see you again.”

“You too, Cosima.”

“This is my girlfriend, Delphine.”

“Hi there, Delphine,” they shake hands. “Please follow me to the backyard, we thought we’d do a little barbecue this afternoon.”

“A little,” Cosima gapes when she see the food laid out on the picnic table. “Are you expecting an army?”

“No, it’s just for us,” Alison rejoins them, placing the vase on the table.

“And us,” a boy kicking a soccer ball around the backyard adds.

“Yes, Oscar, for you and Gemma also.” Alison gives each kid a hot dog and macaroni salad and they sit down to eat at a smaller picnic table. “Please, ladies, help yourselves. We’ve got hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, macaroni salad, potato salad, corn on the cob, a summer salad, iced tea, and lemonade.”

“Wow, this is incredible,” Delphine remarks as she fills her plate. Cosima follows suit and they all take their seats. Delphine looks over at the kids, “Your children are precious.”

“Yes,” Alison agrees, “they’re our pride and joy.”

“Delphine is a kindergarten teacher,” Cosima blurts awkwardly, earning a small kick to the shin from Delphine.

“Oh, that’s wonderful. You must be great with children, then.”

“I’m okay, I suppose. What grades are they in?”

“Gemma is about to start 2nd grade and Oscar 4th.”

“Looks like they’re very into sports,” Cosima observes.

“Oh yes, Gemma just earned her yellow belt in karate and Oscar’s soccer team is undefeated this summer.”

“That’s impressive. I am so not sporty, never was. I just did science projects after school and during the summer I’d do even more science projects.”

“And look where it got you,” Alison points out. “Not everyone is cut out for sports, right Donnie?”

“I play golf,” he protests.

“What about you, Alison?”

“I coach girl’s figure skating and Oscar and Gemma’s soccer teams.”

“Whoa, slow down there, sporty spice,” Cosima jokes.

“Delphine, are you involved in any sports?” Alison inquires.

“Oh, not really. I fenced a little in high school.”

“You did?” Cosima asks with surprise.

“Yes. I think I made the team because I had the longest arms of any of the other girls.”

“Yeah,” Cosima nods, “you do have exceptionally long arms. And that’s definitely not a complaint.” Delphine kicks her in the shin again.

“Do you two plan to have children?”

Delphine chokes on her food. “You okay?” Cosima pats her on the back.

“Yes, sorry, a piece of corn must have gone down the wrong pipe.”

“We don’t have plans for children just yet, this is sort of a new relationship,” Cosima answers.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know why, but I assumed you’ve been together a while.”

“Ah, yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes it feels like I’ve known Delphine forever and sometimes it feels like just a few days.”

“I feel the same way,” Delphine smiles.

“Well, if you ever do decide to have children, I know a wonderful adoption agency I can recommend.”

“Honey,” Donnie interjects, “don’t pressure them.”

“It’s no pressure,” Cosima assures. “We’ll definitely be in touch if the time comes. So, should we talk about the giant elephant in the backyard?”

Donnie’s eyes widen, “Excuse me?”

“I think she means our bid for her drug, Donnie.”

“I knew that,” he insists awkwardly.

“To begin, I know we didn’t leave things on the best of terms.”

“No, I’d say Mr. Leekie made his opinion of our offer very clear.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, he can be a bit of a hard-ass with very little tact. That’s why I’m here today without him, I was intrigued by your proposal and wanted to learn more about your plans for the drug.”

“Well, I certainly appreciate you taking the time and initiative to do so. Let me start by giving you a little bit more background on Donnie and I. We got into this business quite unconventionally. You see, Donnie was a bit of an office drone, an actuary, very unfulfilled in his work. I was a stay-at-home mother raising two toddlers. One day, quite unexpectedly, my mother announced she was selling her soap store in Pasadena and moving to Florida. I spent so many afternoons working at Bubbles after school, I just couldn’t imagine it leaving the family. So, I convinced Donnie that we should take over the business. This was 5 years ago. After about a year and a half, I started noticing which scented soaps were the most popular amongst which clientele and it occurred to me that our products weren’t just cleansing the body, but cleansing the soul. Lavender was relieving stress and migraines, lemon helped improve concentration, jasmine revitalized energy, rosemary stimulated memory, peppermint boosted energy, and so on. I realized how much our products were helping people and I wanted to expand on that. There were so many people who were coming to our store because we were more affordable than seeing a doctor and getting a prescription. And, I thought, if we could help improve people’s lives, even the slightest, with soap, imagine what we could do if we could provide actual medicine to people across the country who are struggling because they can’t afford life-saving or life-extending drugs. We started small, partnered with the maker of a new drug for anxiety and depression and found a way to bring it to clinics whose patients don’t have insurance and can’t afford to pay the prices that similar drugs are going for without it. It really seemed to make a big difference in those locations. We’ve slowly started adding more drugs to our repertoire and when we heard about your drug, and what it can do, we felt it was worth trying to get in on the ground floor. But then, I must admit, we left that meeting feeling pretty disheartened.”

“I know, I was very bothered by the way Leekie dismissed you.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I understand this is a business and we don’t have hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars to offer you, but we feel really strongly that our plan would be successful. We would be supplying clinics which specialize in cancer care, offering the drug at very reduced prices, and we’d subsidize that with deals at hospitals across the country that would be able to pay the fair market price. And then, of course, we’d negotiate with insurance companies to offer the drug on a fair tier level. There are just so many innovative drugs out there that could be helping so many but aren’t because of the greed of the drug companies. No offense.”

“No offense taken. I feel the same way, which is why we’re here today and why I wanted to hear you out again. I’m putting your offer back on the table.”

“Holy frikkin' Christmas cake,” Alison gasps. “Are you serious?”

“I am totally serious. I’m not making any promises, but you are still in contention for the drug.”

“Oh, this is wonderful news! Donnie, isn’t this wonderful news?”

“This is amazing news,” he agrees. “Thank you, Cosima.”

“I should be thanking you for giving me the opportunity to talk to you again.”

“I think this calls for dessert,” Alison declares.

“I’ll help,” Delphine offers and follows Alison into the kitchen.

“I still can’t believe this,” Alison remarks as she puts on the coffee. “I thought we had no chance, but now there’s actually hope. And I can’t believe Cosima Niehaus is here, in our home, talking to us. She was just #1 on Forbes’ ranking of the top 30 under 30 in science. She’s a genius in her field and she’s in our home talking to us and listening to us and eating our food. I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, I’m sure you know how accomplished and talented she is. I tried to act natural, though, do you think I acted natural?”

“Yes, you acted very natural. But as far as Cosima goes, she’s very down to earth, you would never know she’s so successful and lauded.”

“But does she like cupcakes?” Alison asks as she holds up a plate of the homemade treats.

“Yes,” Delphine nods, “Cosima loves cupcakes.”

“Fantastic! I made an assortment.”

“Those look divine. I can’t believe you made them.”

“Yes, well, I just love baking, it’s so therapeutic. Would you help me bring the coffee out?”

“Of course.”

Alison and Delphine return to the backyard where Cosima is kicking the ball back and forth with Oscar. “Looks like you’ve got some sportiness in you after all,” Alison comments.

“He’s taking it easy on me.”

“Come, take a break, dessert is served.” Alison places the plate on the picnic table while Delphine pours the coffee.

“I love cupcakes,” Cosima squees when she sees the delectable confections.

“Yes, Delphine said you did.”

“She did?” Cosima asks with confusion and gets a curious look from Alison. “I mean, of course she did, she knows me so well.”

“You have your choice of vanilla, red velvet, salted caramel, coconut, key lime, chocolate ganache, strawberry lava fudge, and vegan carrot, just in case,” Alison announces.

“Delphine, my angel, why don’t you choose for me,” Cosima puts Delphine on the spot.

“Sure, mon petit chiot,” Delphine fake smiles. “Hmm, they all sound extraordinary, but I believe that you would most enjoy the strawberry lava fudge.” She hands the cupcake to Cosima.

“See,” Cosima extols, “she always knows what I like.”

“And which do I have my eye on?” Delphine challenges.

“Oh, easy peasy,” Cosima immediately reaches for one, “the chocolate ganache.”

“Indeed,” Delphine smiles as she happily takes the cupcake from Cosima.

“You two are so precious, aren’t they precious, Donnie?”

“Mmmhmm, very precious,” Donnie agrees through a mouthful of his coconut cupcake.

“Everything was so delicious, Alison,” Delphine praises as they wrap up their get-together.

“Yes, it was,” Cosima agrees. “Thank you, again, for having us over. It was a lot of fun and very insightful. And now I know why there are bubbles in your logo.”

“Oh, yes, Donnie and I wanted to keep a little of our origin in our new endeavor.”

“It suits you,” Cosima smiles.

“Do you still run the shop?”

“Absolutely, we’d never let it go. We’ve left it in the capable hands of our dear friend, Sarah Stubbs, to manage for us. She’s been doing a splendid job.”

“That’s great. It’s always nice to have a friend like that that you can count on.”

“Sarah and I are also heavily involved in the local musical theatre community. Next weekend we’ll be performing in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Glendale Centre Theatre. It’s in the round, unlike you’ve ever seen it performed before. If you’d like, I can get you both on the VIP guest list.”

“That really sounds so great, Alison, but I’m going to be back in San Francisco then. Maybe another time. Delphine will still be in town, though, I’m sure she’d love to attend. Wouldn’t you, snookums?”

“Oh, um, of course,” Delphine grins through gritted teeth.

“Wonderful! I’ll put you on the guest list,” Alison smiles.

“Great, you spell her last name C-O-R-M-I-E-R. Delphine Cormier. I will be in touch about the drug deal, but, please, keep this meeting on the down low. I wouldn’t want anyone to try and meddle that shouldn’t be.”

“Of course,” Alison mimes zipping her lips, then does the same to Donnie’s before throwing away the imaginary key.

“Great, thanks.”

“Will we see you at the Children's Hospital fundraiser tomorrow?” Alison asks.

“Yup, we wouldn’t miss it,” Cosima answers as she spots her limo pull up. “Hey, would you mind if I took a salted caramel for the road?”

“Of course not,” Alison quickly retrieves the cupcake for her.

“Awesome, thanks. See you tomorrow.”

“Au revoir,” Delphine waves.

“Goodbye,” Alison and Donnie say in-sync.

“Hello, Cosima, Delphine,” Martin greets as he opens the car door. “I hope you had a lovely lunch.”

“Yeah, it was great. This is for you,” Cosima hands him the cupcake. “Salted caramel.”

“Thank you very much,” he grins, wasting no time devouring it.

As they drive back towards the hotel, Cosima looks at Delphine curiously, causing her to become a bit self-conscious. “What is it? Do I have frosting on my face?”

“No, no frosting,” Cosima assures. “How’d you know I like cupcakes?”

“Well, I figured anyone who orders nothing but crepes and waffles for breakfast would enjoy a good cupcake.”

“And strawberry?”

“You favored the strawberry crepes the other day,” Delphine shrugs.

“You’re very observant.”

“What made you choose the chocolate for me?”

“The truffles,” Cosima reminds.

“Oh,” Delphine laughs, “yeah, those.”

“You’ve got a real sweet tooth, don’t you?”

“Oui,” Delphine smiles, “I suppose I do. So, should I assume by the fact that you’re speaking to me on this limo ride, that you’re happier with the outcome of this meeting than the last?”

“Much,” Cosima enthuses. “They’re kinda weird, but I like them. And I liked everything they had to say about distributing the drug.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“Think about it. Think about how I can possibly make this work. I also, unfortunately, have to make nice with Kellerman tomorrow,” Cosima mocks sticking her finger down her throat.

“What kind of event will we be attending?”

“It’s a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It’s being held at Griffith Park. There’s a raffle, games, some nice events for the kids. Besides all the big money guests and their children, they bring over some patients whose immune systems won’t be compromised being out of the hospital or around other people. It’s actually a pretty fun event.”

“Oh, you’ve been before?”

“Yeah, I attend every summer.”

“That’s great. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Cool. Hey,” Cosima takes Delphine’s hand, “thanks for coming with me today.”

“It was my pleasure, but you didn’t need me, it went really well. I didn’t even have to regale them with any French things.”

“It went well, but I did need you. Well, I didn’t need you kicking me in the shin, but I felt more comfortable having you by my side.”

“I only kicked you because you’re a brat, and I owe you another kick for forcing me onto their musical guest list, but I’m glad to have helped you in any way I could,” Delphine gives her hand a squeeze, “even if just as moral support.”

“I only wish I could offer you the same support as you sit through that musical,” Cosima chuckles. “Ow my ow!” Cosima yelps as Delphine’s foot meets her shin.

When they get back to the hotel, Cosima flops onto the couch and picks up the tv remote, “Wanna watch a movie?”

“What did you have in mind?” Delphine asks as she sits down beside her.

“I don’t know, let’s see what they have on pay-per-view.” Cosima scrolls through the selections, “No, no, no, no, saw it, no, no, no, saw it, no, no, no, no, ooh _Zootopia_. That’s supposed to be great. How about that one?”

“ _Zootopia_? Isn’t that a children’s movie?”

“I’m sorry, did you want to watch an adult movie? Looks like they have _Big Boob Blowies_ or _Batman Does Superman_.”

“No,” Delphine grabs the remote, “I don’t want to watch an adult movie.” Delphine peruses the offerings and is left unimpressed, “Okay, let’s watch _Zootopia_.”

“Yes!” Cosima takes the remote back, orders the movie, and they settle in to watch.

At some point during the movie, Cosima’s head winds up resting in Delphine’s lap and Delphine mindlessly plays with the little wisps of hair along Cosima’s forehead as they both laugh and smile throughout the film.

When it ends, Cosima looks up at Delphine, “Are you crying?”

“No,” Delphine wipes at a stray tear.

Cosima sits up, “Yes, you are.”

“Shut up, so are you,” Delphine lifts Cosima’s glasses and wipes away the tears in her eyes.

“It’s a sweet movie.”

“Yes, it really is,” Delphine agrees.

“And now,” Cosima jumps to her feet, “it’s time for a dance party.” She pulls Delphine up with her and they jump around as the _Try Everything_ concert plays on screen. Cosima sings along,

“Birds don’t just fly,  
they fall down and get up.  
Nobody learns without getting it wrong.  
I wont give up, no I won’t give in.  
‘Til I reach the end and then I’ll start again.  
No I won't leave, I wanna try everything.  
I wanna try even though I could fail.  
I won’t give up, no I won’t give in.  
‘Til I reach the end and then—”

Delphine suddenly stops bouncing around. “You’ve seen this movie before,” she accuses.

“What?”

“Don’t what me, you know all the lyrics to this song.”

“I must have heard the song on the radio.”

“Where, on Disney radio? Cosima, admit it.”

“Okay, fine, yes, I’ve seen it like 5 times. But I love it and I thought you would, too. And you did.”

“Yes,” Delphine nods, “I did. I never really watched cartoons before, but this was really good.”

“Excuse me, I think they prefer the term animated movie.”

“Pardon me, I enjoyed this animated movie immensely.”

“Look how far you've come, you filled your heart with love,” Cosima smiles as she continues singing and gets Delphine to dance with her again.

“Baby you've done enough, take a deep breath.  
Don’t beat yourself up, don't need to run so fast.  
Sometimes we come last, but we did our best.  
I won’t give up, no I won’t give in.  
‘Til I reach the end and then I’ll start again.  
No I won't leave, I wanna try everything.  
I wanna try even though I could fail.”

This continues through the end of the song, with both of jumping around like mad, before collapsing on the couch in a fit of exhausted giggles.

“You know, you kind of remind me of Judy,” Delphine remarks.

“How so?”

“For starters, you’re both very small.”

“Hey, I’m not bunny small.”

“Close enough,” Delphine shrugs. “But, more than that, you’re both feisty, with a sensitive side, and very successful at whatever you put your mind to.”

“What makes you think I’m so successful?”

“Because you’re here in LA to make a big deal for the drug you developed. And, also, Alison may have mentioned a Forbes list you were at the top of.”

“Oh, that.”

“Yes, that.”

“Eh, it’s all PR.”

“Don’t do that, don’t downplay your accomplishments. I think it’s very impressive. I’d like to read the article sometime.”

“It’s really not that impressive, but, if you really want to read it, I’ll send you to my parents’ house, they framed it.”

“Cosima, be serious.”

“I am being serious, it’s right there when you walk in, you can’t miss it.” Delphine gives her a stern look. “Or,” she grabs her phone, “I can pull it up for you on the internet.” She finds the story and hands her phone to Delphine, then watches as Delphine begins reading it. When she finishes, she hands the phone back to Cosima. “So?”

“You’re right, that’s actually pretty lame. I don’t know why they’d place you at the top, all you did was develop 5 drugs before the age of 30. And the latest one they’re hailing as one of the greatest scientific discoveries of the last decade. Cosima, what is wrong with you? That’s so incredible. You’re incredible.”

“It’s my job and I had a lot of help. I’ve got a team of really talented scientists working with me, some have even been with me since grad school.”

“Yes and the ones they included quotes from all hailed your work and dedication to science as an inspiration to them.”

“They inspire me, too.”

“Cosima,” Delphine clutches Cosima’s face between her palms and looks into her eyes, “this whole humble thing you have going on, it’s cute, but you need to learn to accept praise. Forbes didn’t choose you because you’re a moron, they chose you because you’re a brilliant scientist. You are doing great things with your life and you are going to continue doing great things. Okay?”

“Okay,” Cosima nods.

“Good,” Delphine taps Cosima’s nose sweetly, “what do you want to do now?”

“I don’t know, do you want to go to dinner?”

“I’m actually still a bit full from lunch.”

“So am I, I just didn’t want to say it in case you were hungry.”

“Any other ideas?”

“Oh, I know,” Cosima jumps up and opens a cabinet on the wall unit, “they have some old board games in here. Wanna play Battleship?”

“Battleship? I don’t know it.”

“Then we are definitely playing it.”

“But I don’t know how to play, it won’t be fair.”

“I’ll teach you, it’s super simple. And it’s not like a game where having played it gives you much of an advantage. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Okay, teach me, Professor Niehaus.”

They sit on the floor around the coffee table and Cosima sets up the game. “Alright, so we each get a battle station with 5 battleships. We place them randomly around the board, which is supposed to be water since we’re dealing with boats here. Now, you see how it’s a grid with letters along this side and numbers along this side?”

“Yes.”

“So, basically, when it’s your turn, it’s like you’re firing a shot to take out your opponent’s boat. So you’d say G-3 and if I have a boat occupying that spot, I’d say hit and put a red peg in that part of my boat. On your side you’d put a red peg up here to indicate that you made that hit and you know that around it will be the rest of that boat. Now, if I say miss, then you’d put a white peg to indicate you hit water. There are five vessels of varying lengths. The carrier,” Cosima holds it up, “takes five hits before you sink it, the battleship four, cruiser three, submarine also three, and destroyer two. When the max hits on a boat are made, you have to say, ‘you sunk my carrier or battleship, etc.’ The winner is whoever can sink all 5 of their opponents ships first. Got it?”

“I think so.”

“Oh, there’s one more rule I left out.”

“What’s that?”

“Whenever you score a hit, your opponent has to lose an article of clothing.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah, so if I said D-1 and you said hit, you’d have to remove your pants, for example.”

“Cosima, there are children on this box cover, there is no way they’d be removing their clothing during the course of this game.”

“You’re right, those are innocent children, we, however, are not. We play by different rules. But if you’re too scared to play Strip Battleship, then by all means, we can play something else. They also have boring old Monopoly in that cabinet.”

“I’m not too scared. Besides, it’s not like you’ve got anything I haven’t already seen.”

“Ditto, obvs,” Cosima smirks.

“Okay, you’re on.”

“On like Donkey Kong,” Cosima rejoices gleefully. “To make this fair, we need to go put on enough items of clothing and accessories to take all the hits.”

They head into the bedroom and come back to the media room several minutes later dressed and ready to play.

“Alright, choose your side.”

“I’ll go with blue,” Delphine decides as she sits on that side of the table, “I wouldn’t dare deprive you of the red one.”

“You’re so thoughtful. Okay, now position your ships on the grid.” Cosima haphazardly places her pieces, while Delphine meticulously positions hers. “Ready?”

“To rumble,” Delphine nods.

“Okay, you go first.”

“B-”

“Oh, wait,” Cosima interrupts, “I forgot to mention that when the hit results in a sunken vessel, the opponent gets to choose the article of clothing that must come off.”

“Are you making these rules up as you go along?”

“Absolutely not,” Cosima insists. “Please continue.”

“B-4?”

“Miss. F-1?”

“Miss. H-6?”

“Hit, nicely done,” Cosima praises as she places a red peg on her carrier. She then pulls off her left slipper. “J-10?”

“Miss. Okay, so H-6 was a hit, how about H-7?”

“Miss!” Cosima announces a little too joyfully. “A-2?”

“Miss. I-6?”

“Hit,” Cosima frowns.

“Yes! Lose something else, Commander Niehaus.”

Cosima removes her right slipper. “D-3?

“Miss,” Delphine responds with glee. “J-6?”

“Miss. B-2?”

“Miss.”

“Damn, Delphine, are you sure you placed your pieces correctly?”

“Yes, Cosima,” Delphine rolls her eyes. “G-6?”

“Hit, as if you didn’t know it would be.” Cosima stands up, unties the belt, and removes her bath robe. “G-2?”

“Hit.”

“Finally!” Cosima rejoices.

Delphine stands and removes her own bathrobe with a little more finesse. “I’m actually glad you got one, I was overheating in that thing. Ok, F-6?”

“Yeah, yeah, hit.” Cosima pulls off her beanie. “G-1?”

“Miss.”

“Damn.”

“E-6!” Delphine shouts excitedly.

“You sunk my carrier,” Cosima groans.

“Yay!” Delphine celebrates. “Lose the pants!”

Cosima stands up, pops the button on her fly, then slowly lowers the zipper and pushes her pants down her legs as Delphine whistles at her. She then kicks the pants off her sock-covered feet and sits bare-legged on the shag rug. “You sure you haven’t played this before?”

“Never, but I’m liking it so far.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” Cosima grumbles before refocussing on her grid. “Ok, let’s see, this was a hit, but that was a miss, so either here, here, or here. Hmm… F-2?”

“Hit.”

“Woohoo!” Cosima shoots her arm up in celebration as Delphine removes her right shoe. “Whatcha got for me now, punk?”

“Are you trying to trash talk?” Delphine giggles.

“Trying? I’m an awesome trash talker.”

“If you say so.”

“Just take your shot.”

“F-1?”

“Missed me, sucka! E-2?”

“You sunk my submarine,” Delphine mumbles.

“Excuse me? Can you say that a little louder so the people at home can hear you?”

“You sunk my submarine,” Delphine shouts.

“Aww yeah! Take off the shirt, sweetheart.”

Delphine slowly unbuttons her black shirt, letting it fall open to reveal her black, lace bra before removing the shirt completely and tossing it on the floor.

“I love this game,” Cosima squees.

“Yeah, now you do. Okay, F-2?”

“Hit,” Cosima instantly deflates from her previous high. She then pulls off her right sock. “J-9?”

“Miss. F-3?”

“You wound me, Cormier,” Cosima clutches her heart. “You’ve sunk my destroyer.”

“Now it’s your turn to remove your shirt.”

Cosima pulls her arms free of her long sleeve shirt, then pulls it over head, spins it around in the air a few times and then tosses it to the side.”

“I like the matching underwear,” Delphine admires of the black lace set with pink, blue, and gold flowers that Cosima’s wearing.

“Thanks, I bet you’d like it better on the floor,” Cosima winks. “C-1?”

“That’s another miss. C-7?”

“Nope, sorry, better luck next time. A-10?”

“Désolé, you have such poor aim. C-6?”

“Fuck!”

“I’m taking that as a hit.”

“Yes,” Cosima pulls off her left sock and throws it at Delphine.

“Thank you, but I don’t need your sock, I’ve still got two of my own,” Delphine sticks her tongue out and tosses it back.

“Don’t rub it in. F-5?”

“Miss. B-6?”

“Nope. G-5?”

“Miss. C-5?”

“Hit,” Cosima pulls off her scarf. “H-5?”

“Yet another miss. C-4?”

“I hate you. You sunk my sub. What’s it gonna be?” She points to her bra and underwear.

“Because you still have two vessels left, and I’m such a nice person, let’s go with that ring.”

“How kind of you,” Cosima replies as she pulls off the ring and places it on the coffee table. “I-5?”

“Hallelujah, you finally got one. I was feeling so unbalanced with this one shoe still on,” Delphine slips it off. “G-1?”

“That would be a negative. “I-4?”

Delphine stares at her, then nods and reaches down and pulls off her left sock. “H-1?”

“Dammit, is my board see through or something?”

“No.”

“Do you have x-ray vision?”

“I wish. Now stop stalling and take something off.”

Cosima removes her necklace and places it beside her ring. “It’s fine, I’m on a roll anyway. I-3?”

Delphine shakes her head no, “So much for your roll. I-1?”

Cosima removes her watch. “Hmm,” Cosima looks at the board, then up at Delphine, then back at the board, “It can only be I-6.”

Delphine’s head drops, “You sunk my carrier.”

“Oh boy,” Cosima rubs her hands together, “what to do, what to do? Well, it’s only fair that your pants come off.”

“Fair is fair,” Delphine slides the zipper down the side of the pants, she turns around so her back is to Cosima and pulls the pants down over her butt suggestively, before removing them completely.

“I like the show,” Cosima grins.

“You’re welcome.”

“And you have opted for mismatched under-garments, I see. Still hot.”

“Thank you. Unfortunately for you, though, I’m about to relieve you of one of your lovely intimates. J-1 is going down.”

Cosima makes a dramatic explosion sound, “Thar goes me cruiser.”

“Well, well, Cosima, the time has now come for you to remove your bra.”

“I know you’ve been waiting all night for this moment,” Cosima smirks as she reaches behind her back and undoes the clasp, her bra coming loose and boobs escaping their imprisonment as the garment is tossed aside. Delphine smiles at her accomplishment. “Alright, enough fooling around, I’m about to get back in this thing. I’m feeling—”

“Cold by the looks of it.”

“Oh, you are so funny. As I was saying, I’m feeling some G-9.”

“Hit,” Delphine responds impressed.

“I knew it!”

Delphine removes her left sock. “Come on, Delphine,” she hypes herself up, “she’s only got one boat left. A-1?”

“Great steak sauce, but that’s a miss. H-9?”

“Got me,” Delphine pulls off her neck tie. She scratches her head as she examines the grid, “A-8?”

“Terrible guess. I’m aiming my cannon at I-9?”

“Your cannon is off course. How about J-10?”

“Sorry, Charlie. I know you’re taking a hit on F-9.”

“So obvious,” Delphine removes her ring. “A-10?”

“Oh wow, that’s another total miss. Am I distracting you with all this,” she points at her bosom.

“Not even a little.”

“Let me see you try to avoid a direct hit on E-9.”

Delphine removes her right earring. “I think you’ve got a little piece of ship for me under B-10.”

“Damn,” Cosima removes a bracelet. “Delphine, darling, you can leave your hat on and lose the bra cause I’m firing directly at D-9.”

“You’ve sunk my carrier,” Delphine bemoans as she lowers the straps on her bra, undoes the front clasp, and exposes herself to Cosima.

“I so enjoy sinking carriers,” Cosima grins.

“I’d wipe that smile off your face if I was you. Would there, by chance, happen to be another part of your waterlogged vessel under C-10?”

Cosima removes another bracelet. “It’s fine, it’s totally fine. I think you’ve got something for me on D-7.”

“You thought wrong. That is a huge misfire. But you know what’s not a misfire? D-10.”

“My poor seamen are bailing as fast as they can,” Cosima frowns as she removes her eyeglasses. “And now I can barely see.”

“Poor baby. Don’t worry, it’s almost over.”

Cosima leans in close to her board to see what’s still open, she decides to take a shot in the dark, “A-6?”

“Wow, maybe you should’ve played with your glasses off from the start. That’s a hit.” Delphine finally tosses off her hat. “But, luckily for me, the eyeglasses stayed on too long, cause I’m about to destroy you with a big bang on E-10.”

“Well, Delphine, I tried to fight the good fight, but your forces were just too strong for me.” Cosima picks up a red peg and plunges it into the final hole, “You’ve sunk my battleship.” Cosima stands, ready to bravely pay for her loss. She reaches for the band on her panties.

“Uh uh,” Delphine interrupts, “I think you left out one other major rule of this game.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?”

Delphine gets up and walks over to her, “Winner takes all.” She guides Cosima back onto the chaise section of the couch, then hovers over her for a moment, before slowly and methodically peeling the underwear down, leaving goosebumps across Cosima’s legs as she goes. Delphine drops the panties and then licks her way back up, her tongue blazing a hot trail from Cosima’s toes up to her thigh, not even pausing when she reaches the inner sanctum, her tongue relentlessly devouring Cosima.

Cosima’s eyes just about roll back in head as a moan escapes her lips. Just as she thinks she can’t take anymore, Delphine abruptly stops. “No way,” Cosima whines.

Delphine ignores her complaints, stands and observes a flushed Cosima for a moment. Just as Cosima begins to voice another complaint, Delphine quickly moves to straddle her lap. She wastes little time grinding determinedly against Cosima, whose head drops back onto the couch cushion. The silk panties still covering Delphine’s core increasing the friction in her gyrations.

Cosima attempts to sit up, her hips aching to respond to Delphine’s actions. Instead, she’s met with a firm left hand on her chest, holding her down against the couch. In total control, Delphine reaches her right arm behind her and sinks two fingers into Cosima, who gasps at the new sensation. Soon, with her clit on fire, and Delphine’s fingers plunging like they’re on a deep sea dive, Cosima detonates, a big burst followed by a series of smaller pops, with Delphine riding her out until she’s completely defused.

Both of them completely spent, Delphine lays down next to Cosima and pulls a throw from the back of the couch to cover them.

“I can’t believe I lost at Strip Battleship,” is the first thing out of Cosima’s mouth when she regains her ability to speak.

“Do you play often?”

Cosima shakes her head, “This was my first time.”

“Cosima!” Delphine shouts.

“What?”

“How often are you going to do this to me?”

“Um, I think you’re the one who did the doing.”

Delphine reaches for Cosima’s ass and pinches her cheek, “I meant make up these games.”

“Well, based on their outcomes, I’d say never. Even when I lose, I win.”


	5. Seeing Green at the Park

“How do I look?” Delphine asks as she exits the bedroom wearing a sleeveless black sundress with white polka dots, paired with a white straw floppy sun-hat.

“You look gorgeous. Although, I have to admit, I liked the hat better when you had practically nothing else on. But this whole outfit looks picture perfect,” Cosima lifts her phone and snaps a photo.

“Cosima,” Delphine grouses, “warn me when you’re taking a photo.”

“Why? Candids are the best.”

“No, they’re not.”

“Yes, they are,” Cosima shoots a few more. “Oh man, candid angry Delphine is fierce.”

“Give me that,” Delphine chases Cosima around the suite before finally tackling her on the couch and grabbing the phone out of her hand. “Unlock it,” she demands.

“Nope.”

“Cosima, come on, I don’t want those stupid photos of me on there,” she tries to guide Cosima’s thumb to unlock the phone, but gets a lot of resistance.

“You know, the last time you were on top of me on this couch it was a much more pleasant experience.”

“Yes and that may never happen again if you don’t let me see the photos.” Cosima instantly stops fighting it and lets Delphine have her thumb. Delphine flips through the camera roll, “These are ridiculous.”

“No, they’re great. Please don’t delete them.”

“I do look like I’m about to kill you in this one,” Delphine laughs. She looks down at Cosima’s pleading face, “Okay, fine, I won’t delete them. But I’m definitely getting some of you right now,” she starts shooting pics of Cosima, who sticks her tongue out at her. Delphine then texts them to herself before climbing off and releasing Cosima from her clutches.

“Wait, that’s it? I thought we were going to make that a pleasant experience.”

“Later, Cosima, we need to leave soon or we’ll be late. Go put some clothing on.”

“Fine, but I better not see those shots of me end up on Instagram.”

“Oh you needn’t worry about Instagram, cause if I see those photos of me end up anywhere at all, I’m releasing yours to the press.”

“The only place yours will end up is in a frame on my bedside table,” Cosima swears.

As Cosima gets dressed, Delphine picks up her own phone and looks at the photos she just texted herself. She smiles as she saves them all and starts a new album titled _Cosima_.

Cosima returns wearing a red peasant dress, “Better?”

“Not better, just more appropriate for today’s festivities,” she takes Cosima’s hand and they exit the suite.

———

“Martin, feel free to stick around and enjoy the food,” Cosima offers as she and Delphine exit the limo at Griffith Park.

“Thank you, I just might do that. Have a nice time!”

“Merci, Martin,” Delphine smiles as she and Cosima walk hand in hand into the party area. “Wow, there are a lot of people here.”

“Yeah, this event always draws a big crowd. Over there,” Cosima points, “is the croquet area. Then you have the children’s play zone with games and a face painting station. The buffet set up is over there, the best part is the chocolate fondue fountain.”

“Mmmm, that does sound good.”

“Lastly, you’ve got the raffle station there. 100% of the money raised today goes directly to the Children’s Hospital.”

“This is great, I’ve never been to something like this before.”

“I usually try to avoid events like these with industry types, but this one is for a good cause, so I put up with all the people.”

“Cosima,” a woman calls out as she approaches the pair.

“Dr. Parks, hey, good to see you,” they embrace. “This is my girlfriend, Delphine. Delphine, Dr. Parks is the chief of pediatric oncology at Children’s Hospital LA.”

“Nice to meet you,” Delphine shakes her hand.

“You as well,” Dr. Parks smiles. “Cosima, I’ve heard that we can expect an announcement on your drug soon.”

“Yes, any day now.”

“That’s wonderful news, I can’t wait until we’re able to begin using it for our patients, the results of the clinical trials were quite encouraging. Guess who’s here today and can’t wait to see you?”

“Not Trevor?”

“Yes, he’s been well enough the last month that we allowed him to come. His nurse is by his side, but he’s looking forward to some face time with you.”

“I’ll track him down for sure. He should be pretty easy to spot with Helena.”

“Yes,” Dr. Parks laughs, “you can’t miss her. I should probably go mingle, I hope you both have a lovely time.”

“Thank you, see you around.”

“Who’s Trevor?” Delphine asks as Dr. Parks leaves them.

“He’s a little boy battling a pretty rare form of cancer. I’m stoked he can be here today, last year he was too sick.”

“How do you know him?”

“I sort of donated a chunk of the money I made on my first drug to build the kids a fun, safe place at the hospital to hang out, read, watch movies, play video games, just try to have as normal a childhood as you can when you’re confined to a hospital. Once in a while, when I’m in town and have some free time, I head over there and hang out with the kids.”

“That is so sweet. Don’t they usually name places like that after the donor?”

“Yeah.”

“So what do they call your room?”

“The Niehaus of Fun.”

Delphine giggles, “Let me guess, they let you name it?”

“Yes,” Cosima sticks out her tongue. “I didn’t want it to have some pretentious name like, The Cosima Niehaus Parlor for Childhood Enrichment, so I made it a condition of the donation that I choose the name.”

“It’s cute,” Delphine grins.

“Ah, good, Cosima, you’re here,” a voice interrupts.

“Hello to you, too, Leekie.”

“And you must be the mysterious Delphine I’ve been hearing about.”

“Yes, hello, nice to finally meet you,” they shake hands. “Cosima speaks of you often.”

“Does she? That’s funny, because she has been keeping quite mum about you. I don’t know why, though, you are quite stunning.”

“Thank you.”

“She certainly is,” Cosima agrees as she wraps an arm around Delphine’s waist, “so you can see why I’d want to keep her all to myself.”

“Absolutely, but I hope, now that we’ve met, I’ll learn more about you. You two should come by the house tomorrow night for dinner.”

“We’ll strongly consider your invitation,” Cosima responds, her fingers crossed behind Delphine’s back.

“I spotted the Kellermans over by the raffle table earlier, I hope you’re planning to apologize for the other night.”

“Of course, it was at the top of my to do list for today,” she replies sarcastically.

“Cosima, please fix things.”

“I said I would.”

“There’s the Hendrix family,” Leekie grumbles, glancing in their direction. “Wait, are their kids waving at you?”

“What?” Cosima plays dumb, “No, looks like they’re waving at someone over there by the ring toss.”

“Hello, Cosima,” a woman smiles as she nears the three of them.

“Hi, Marion, nice to see you, as always. This is my girlfriend, Delphine. Delphine, this is Marion Bowles, she’s the chairwoman of the board at Dyad.”

Delphine and Marion shake hands, “So you’re the elusive woman Aldous told me Cosima was seeing. I have to admit, I was skeptical, Cosima never brings anyone around.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Cosima responds as she kneels down to the little girl by Marion’s side. “Hey, Charlotte, are you enjoying the fundraiser so far?”

“Yes, but mommy won’t let me go in the bounce house.”

“We discussed this, Charlotte, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I won’t,” she swears.

“What if I go in with her?” Cosima suggests. “I’ll make sure she’s safe. And Delphine can supervise, she’s very responsible.”

“Can Cosima take me, Mommy? Please!”

“Okay,” Marion agrees, “but just for a few minutes. Don’t let her try anything dangerous in there?”

“I won’t,” Cosima promises as Charlotte takes her hand and they walk with Delphine towards the bounce house.

“Let’s take our shoes off,” Cosima bends down to help Charlotte remove hers. “You wanna come in with us, Delphine?”

“No, I think I exceed the posted height limit. I’ll stay out here and take some photos of the two of you.”

“I thought you didn’t like candids?”

“I like them just fine when you’re the subject.”

“Come on, Cosima,” Charlotte pulls her hand.

“Gotta go,” Cosima is dragged towards the bounce house and helps Charlotte climb in. Cosima holds both of Charlotte’s hands as they gently jump together. They start easy and then gradually take bigger and bigger bounces.

“This is so fun!” Charlotte shouts.

Delphine smiles watching them, capturing the moment on her phone.

“Can I do a flip?”

“No, your mother would kill me.”

“What about a butt bounce?”

“Okay, but just once, no pun intended.”

Charlotte drops to her butt and bounces back up with Cosima holding her hands the whole time, “I did it!”

“Yeah, you did,” Cosima smiles. “That was great.”

Delphine snaps a few pics as Cosima gives Charlotte a high five before they continue jumping around.

“You tired yet?” Cosima asks after several bouncy minutes.

“A little bit,” Charlotte admits.

“Good, so am I, let’s get out of this thing.” They stop bouncing and return to Delphine.

“I can’t believe how high you both jumped. Look at this picture,” Delphine hands Charlotte her phone.

“Wow, that is high!” Charlotte exclaims. “Thank you for doing that with me, Cosima.”

“You are very welcome. I’ll send that photo to your mom for you.”

“Thanks!” Charlotte smiles and waves goodbye before rejoining her mother.

“That was nice of you.”

“Yeah, well, she’s a sweet kid and it gave me an excuse to go in there and bounce around. It’s really fun, but totally tiring.”

“Why does Charlotte wear the leg brace?”

“She’s got a congenital disease that affects her mobility in that leg. Marion adopted her when she was a baby and is a little over-protective. She means well, but sometimes you need to let kids just be kids. Charlotte is so much more than her disability.” Cosima gets distracted when she spots someone in the distance. “Speaking of letting kids be kids, there he is!”

“Who?”

“Trevor. Come on, I’ll introduce you.” They walk over to the little boy, “Hey Trev!”

“Cosima!” the little boy’s eyes light up and he gives her a hug. “Look what Helena taught me to make.”

“Is that a fortune teller?”

“Yeah,” Trevor nods.

“So cool! Hello, Helena.”

“Hello, Cosima. Hello, Cosima’s friend with the pretty hairs.”

“She does have pretty hair, doesn’t she? This is Delphine. Delphine, this is Trevor and his nurse, Helena.”

“Hello,” Delphine smiles as Helena awkwardly reaches out and touches one of her curls. “I like your hair, too.”

“Thank you,” Helena beams with delight at the compliment.

“Cosima, can I tell you your fortune?”

“Sure, buddy.”

“Pick a color.”

“Red.”

“R-E-D. Now pick a number.”

“Three.”

“1-2-3. Now another number.”

“Two.”

Trevor lifts the flap on 2, “This is your lucky day.”

“Ooh, that’s a good one. Maybe I should play the lottery.”

“Cosima, you promised me if I was able to come today you’d paint me.”

“Paint him?” Delphine asks with confusion.

“His face,” Cosima clarifies. “You sure you don’t want to let the pros do it?”

“No, I want you to.”

“Alright, let’s see if they’ll let us borrow some paint. What do you want to be?”

“Batman!”

“Excellent choice! Excuse me, would you mind if we borrowed some black and yellow paint and a brush?”

“Sure,” the face painter hands the items over.

“Thanks. Okay, little man, have a seat. I’m gonna pull up an image on my phone so I don’t screw this up. You want Affleck or Bale?”

“Bale.”

“Good choice.” She gets to work, starting with an outline of the bat around his eyes so it looks like a mask. “Delphine likes to paint, too, but she’s really messy.”

“You’re messy?” Trevor ask Delphine.

“No, I’m not.” Cosima stops painting and gives her a pointed look, “Okay, maybe a little.”

“Yeah, just a little,” Cosima agrees sarcastically, “and by a little, she means a lot.”

“Oh, stop it. Cosima is being silly.”

“She’s always silly,” Trevor laughs.

“What, you don’t want a clown nose on your Batman mask?”

“No, Cosima, don’t make me look like a joker.”

“Oh no, we can’t have Batman looking like his arch enemy, now can we?” After getting the outline, Cosima fills in the center with black paint then adds a thin yellow border around the bat mask. “Voila!”

“How do I look?”

“Delphine, would you please take a picture of the superhero so he can see himself.”

“Of course,” Delphine snaps the photo and shows the result to Trevor.

“Whoa, I look like Batman!”

“That was the idea,” Cosima laughs.

“Can I go show my friends?”

“Of course, have fun!” Trevor runs off with Helena close behind.

“That was great work, Cosima.”

“Thanks, would you like me to do you now?”

Delphine looks around, “In front of all these people?”

“Very funny. I meant paint your face. Properly this time.”

“I know what you meant, and I also know what happens when we go down that road.”

“Point taken. Okay,” she takes Delphine’s hand, “let’s hit the raffle station.”

“Wow, there are a lot of prizes here,” Delphine marvels at the displayed items.

“Yeah, should we go for all of them? It is my lucky day, after all. That telescope is pretty cool or the trip to Hawaii.”

“I don’t know, most of the prizes look pretty good, but do you really want to go home with that statue. What is it anyway, a llama?”

“I thought it was a donkey.”

“Maybe it’s a horse.”

“It could be a centaur.”

“Whatever it is, it would give me nightmares.”

“Well, it’s for charity, so let’s just get one ticket for each prize.” Cosima buys 20 raffle tickets at $10 each and places one in each bowl. “Ready to eat?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

They head over to the buffet and fill their plates. As they’re looking for a place to sit, Cosima comes face to face with Jason Kellerman.

“Hello, Cosima.”

“Jason.”

“Nice to see you again, Delphine.”

“You too, Jason.”

“I hope you’re both having a good time.”

“We are. You?”

“I am,” he nods.

“Good, so, look,” Cosima starts, “about the other night, I think we let our differences get in the way of what should have been a pleasant evening.”

“Yes, I think we did.”

“It’s just, I am very protective of my drug. I’ve worked long and hard developing it and I just want to make sure I do the right thing by it.”

“I understand, but, as I said, we’re running a business, and we need it to work for us.”

“I totally get that. I don’t want there to be any animosity between us, we are going to make a decision soon and that’ll be that. Everyone will have to accept it.”

“Yes, well, I’m hoping that decision goes in our favor. I know Aldous is in our corner, so I guess we’ll see what happens.”

“Yes, I guess we will. Enjoy the rest of the festivities.”

“You do the same.”

Jason walks away and Cosima and Delphine sit at a table, “How was that?”

“You did good. You were pleasant, but firm.”

“I didn’t apologize though.”

“I don’t think you needed to. There’s nothing wrong with anything you said to him the other night. It’s your drug and you have very strong feelings about how it’s going to be distributed to the public. It’s almost like it’s your child, you care about its future. Why shouldn’t you be overprotective?”

“You know, you really have a way of making me feel better about things.”

“Oh do I?”

“In many ways, but especially with your words. Thank you for that,” Cosima kisses her on the cheek.

“You’re welcome.”

After they finish eating, they walk around the park and spot Alison, Donnie and the kids playing a bean bag game and exchange quick hellos. They then head over to observe the croquet matches.

“Would you like to play?” the attendant asks. “We’re just about to start the next round and we need to complete a foursome.”

“What do you think?”

“I am pretty good at games,” Delphine shrugs.

“Yes, you are. Okay, we’re in.”

They get their mallets and join the man and woman they’re paired against.

“Hello,” the women begins, “Evie Cho, Director of BrightBorn Industries. And this is my colleague, Dr. Ian Van Lier.”

“Hi, I’m—”

“Oh, I know who you are,” Evie interrupts. “Cosima Niehaus. I’ve read all about you. You’re the talk of the medical field.”

“I think that’s an exaggeration.”

“I don’t,” Evie responds bluntly.

“Hello, I’m Delphine. I am certain you’ve never read about me.”

“No, I don’t think I have,” Evie replies icily. “Shall we begin?”

Cosima and Delphine exchange the same look of, ‘oh joy, this should be fun,’ before taking their positions at the starting pole.

“Have either of you played before?” Ian inquires.

“Nope,” Cosima responds.

“I haven’t either,” Delphine concurs.

“Ah, well, I’m sure you’ll pick it up quickly. Evie you’re first.”

Evie sets up her blue ball and easily hits it through the first wicket. She then takes another shot, which falls just short of the next wicket.

Cosima sets up her red ball, gives it a whack, it goes sailing through the wicket, then smacks into the blue ball and sends it off course, “Whoops.” Her next shot goes through the second wicket.

“You’re a natural,” Delphine cheers.

An hour later, the game concludes. “Great game,” Cosima says as she shakes Evie and Ian’s hands. “Guess you should each go make your mandatory $1000 donation for losing. Better luck next time.”

Delphine waves as Evie and Ian sulk off, then gives Cosima a high five, “We make a great team.”

“Sure do. You were awesome.”

“So were you, you pretty much won it for us with the amount of times you hit their balls out of the way. And you said you’re not sporty.”

“Yeah, well,” Cosima swings her mallet around and blows on it, “practice makes perfect. Helps having come to this event so many years in a row.”

Delphine puts her hands on her hips, “You totally hustled them.”

“Maybe,” Cosima smiles, “but they deserved it. I’ve heard of their company, BrightBorn, it’s under investigation for unethical baby-making practices. Any opportunity to take those leeches down a peg is alright by me. Besides, this was a two-person victory, I knew you’d be great.”

“Oh yeah, how’d you know that?”

“Cause you’re great at everything.”

“I am not.”

“I haven’t witnessed you do anything so far that you haven’t totally rocked.”

“What about painting? You told Trevor I was messy.”

“I was referring to what happened after our little painting lesson, but I like messy, especially when you’re involved. The clean up ain’t so bad either.”

“No, it’s not,” Delphine agrees.

“Speaking of clean up, want to hit the fondue fountain?”

“You read my mind.”

Delphine and Cosima each grab a strawberry on a stick and gather the falling chocolate to coat the fruit.

Cosima takes a bite, “Oh my god, this is so good.”

“Mmm, mmm, oh yes,” Delphine agrees as she savors the treat.

“Here, have another,” Cosima picks up a stick, gathers the chocolate, and points the confection towards Delphine. “Open wide.” Delphine opens her mouth, but Cosima bypasses it and bops her on the nose, “Oops, sorry. Let me get that,” she leans forward and sucks the chocolate off the tip of her nose. “Let’s try that again.”

This time, Delphine takes no chances, she grabs hold of the stick as it approaches and bites off the strawberry. “It’s taking all of my willpower not to stick my tongue directly in that fountain.”

“Yeah, I have that thought often, just not about fondue fountains,” Cosima winks.

Delphine swats at Cosima, “Cheeky.”

“While you contemplate all the things you want to do to that fountain, I’m going to go to use the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”

Cosima walks away as Delphine picks up another strawberry on a stick.

“Bonjour, Delphine,” a man joins in on the fondue making.

As Cosima returns from the bathroom, Leekie steps in her path, “Cosima, we need to talk.”

“I made nice with Kellerman,” she tries to circumvent him.

“We need to talk about Delphine.”

Cosima stops in her tracks, “What about her?”

“Where’d she come from?”

“France.”

“I mean, how did she come into your life? I know you didn’t meet her on a phantom business trip.”

“It’s none of your business how we met.”

“Isn’t it? She seems pretty friendly with Kellerman’s nephew over there,” Leekie points to Delphine and Ramon chatting over fondue. “How much do you know about this girl?”

“I know enough.”

“Do you?”

“What is your problem with Delphine?”

“She seems to have materialized out of thin air at a very interesting time in your life.”

“And?”

“How do you know she's not a spy?”

“A spy?” Cosima laughs.

“Yes, Cosima, a corporate spy for one of the drug companies trying to sway your decision. She could be monitoring your every move and reporting back to her bosses. They could be directing her, say, for instance, having her flirt with Ramon to get your ire, discourage you away from Kellerman and towards one of the lesser options.”

“We’re not seriously having this conversation.”

“Cosima, this is a critical time for us, you need to think with your head here, this girl could be trouble.”

“She's not a corporate spy.”

“How can you be certain of that?”

“Because I picked her up on Hollywood Boulevard on Sunday night. In your car, as a matter of fact. Thanks for that, by the way, she really enjoyed driving it.”

“Hollywood Boulevard? Wait, are you saying she's a hooker? And you let her drive my car?”

“We prefer the term lady of the night and she’s the only reason your car still has a transmission.”

“Oh my, now I've heard everything,” he laughs. “I think you've lost your mind.”

“How so?”

“Cosima, you're the most brilliant scientific mind in this country, you could have your pick of intelligent, well-bred women that would love to date you and you're dallying with a prostitute?”

“Who I choose to spend my time with is none of your concern,” she raises her voice.

“Wow, she must be extremely talented in the sack.”

“Shut up.”

“At least now it makes sense why she's so chummy with Ramon. She’s probably lining up her next client.”

“Enough,” she shouts. “We're not discussing this any further. Don't say anything to Delphine about this and drop the whole spy nonsense.”

Cosima storms away from Leekie and makes a beeline for Delphine.

“Hey, sweetheart," Cosima coos, giving Delphine a kiss on the cheek. “Ramon, nice to see you again.”

“You as well, Cosima. Delphine, here, was just giving me a rundown of places I must visit when I travel to France.”

“Oh was she? That's very nice. I'm sorry to interrupt, but they’re about to draw the raffle winners.”

“Of course,” Ramon nods.

“It was nice talking with you, Ramon,” Delphine smiles before leaving with Cosima.

“You too, Delphine. Merci!”

———

“Looks like Trevor’s fortune teller was right, it was your lucky day,” Delphine laughs as they return to their suite. “What are you going to do with that thing?”

“Donate it to this room,” Cosima puts the statue she won in the raffle behind a potted plant by the door to the balcony. She stands back and looks at it, “What did they say it was called?”

“Cervinae. I think it’s some kind of deer.”

“I wouldn’t want to run into the deer that posed for that piece of work, especially if she’s seen the outcome.”

“Yes, that would be quite frightening,” Delphine agrees. “I think I’m going to go take a shower.”

“Okay.”

“Do you want to join me?”

“No, you go ahead.”

“Alright,” Delphine looks at her suspiciously before heading to the bathroom.

Delphine returns 15 minutes later to find Cosima still standing in the same place, staring at the statue. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Cosima answers without looking at her.

“Why are you sulking?”

“I'm not sulking.”

“Is this about the drug deal?”

Cosima shakes her head, “No.”

“Do you need to go paint?”

“This isn’t like the other night.”

“Then what’s wrong with you?”

Finally, Cosima turns around, but doesn’t quite make eye contact with Delphine, “I didn't like you talking to Ramon.”

“Ramon?” Delphine responds incredulously. “What does he have to do with anything?”

“He was smiling and obviously flirting with you and you were smiling back and I'm not usually a jealous person, but I just didn't like it. I know it's stupid, you're not mine, but—“

"Cosima, look at me," Delphine tilts Cosima's chin up so they're eye to eye. “He came up to me and started making small talk about fondue and France and I stood there and made nice and laughed at whatever he had to say, on your behalf, in case you do end up having to work with Kellerman on this deal. But I have absolutely zero interest in Ramon. Okay?”

Cosima nods, "Okay."

“Great,” Delphine kisses her cheek and whispers in her ear, “now come to bed.” Delphine turns and begins walking towards the bedroom, dropping her robe along the way.

———

“If you could be anywhere right now, where would you want to be?” Cosima asks as they lay in bed, heads on their own pillows, looking at one another, while Cosima runs her hand up and down Delphine’s bare side.

“This isn’t too bad,” Delphine grins.

“I hope it’s better than that ringing endorsement, but I didn’t literally mean right this second, I meant with your life.”

“Oh, I don’t know, I guess I would like to be a doctor like I had dreamt of when I was younger.”

“You’d be a great doctor.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You have an excellent bedside manner.”

“You’re so dumb,” she pokes Cosima in the belly.

“It’s true, but, seriously, you have the right balance of strength and compassion and smarts to be so successful. What kind of doctor would you like to be?”

“This may sound silly, but when I studied biology in high school, I became very interested in immunology. There was just something intriguing about the idea of examining what causes the immune system to react negatively to certain antigens and then figuring out the proper course of treatment to build it up again, strengthen the body to fight back.”

“Dr. Delphine Cormier, Immunologist. That doesn’t sound silly at all, it sounds pretty freakin’ badass. Also, you’re talking to someone who spent years in bio classes, so I understand the appeal. And, you know, it really isn’t too late to pursue that dream, if it’s something you really want.”

“It seems like a pipe dream.”

“It’s not.”

“Maybe," Delphine concedes. "So, same question, where would you like to be right now?”

“I’m pretty happy exactly where I am.”

“You’re that satisfied with your life?”

“No,” Cosima shakes her head, “I meant here, in this bed, with you.”

“Cosima, you said that wasn’t the question.”

“I changed my mind,” Cosima shrugs with an impish grin as she inches closer to Delphine.


	6. The San Francisco Treat

Delphine wakes up to find Cosima coming out of the bathroom in her bathrobe, “You’re up early. You getting ready to head to the office?”

“Nope,” Cosima shakes her head, “I’m not going in today.”

“But when we left the park, Leekie said he’d see you there today.”

“He was wrong. I just want to spend a stress-free day before the vote having fun in the sun with you.”

“Oh yeah,” Delphine smiles, “what did you have in mind?”

“Get dressed and you’ll find out.” Cosima heads into the living room while Delphine goes to take a shower.

“Mr. Leekie,” his secretary calls out as Leekie enters the office, “Cosima phoned, she won’t be in today.”

“Won’t be in? But the vote is tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry, she said she had other plans.”

“I think I can guess what, or who, those plans involve,” Leekie grimaces as he pulls out his phone and dials Cosima.

“Hello,” Cosima answers.

“Why aren’t you coming in today?”

“Good morning to you, too, Leekie.”

“Cosima, we have a lot to discuss before the vote tomorrow.”

“Do we really? I know you already have your final pitch to the board for why Kellerman is the right choice ready to go, what else do we need to discuss?”

“Do you know what you’re going to say?”

“I’ll wing it.”

“Wing it? Cosima, you can’t take this lightly.”

“I’m not, trust me. I just don’t need to over-prepare everything like you do.”

“And your unavailability today wouldn’t have anything to do with your hooker friend, would it?”

“My unavailability is my business. We won’t be able to able to make dinner tonight, either, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” She hangs up on him, picks up the hotel phone and dials the front desk.

“This is Raj, how can I help you?”

“Hey Raj, this is Cosima, I need a car for the day.”

“Certainly, Ms. Niehaus, Martin will bring the limo around.”

“No, not the limo, I need a fast car, preferably a convertible.”

“You got it. We’ll have one out front for you in a half hour.”

“Thanks!” Cosima proceeds to gets dressed while Delphine finishes up in the shower.

———

Felix smiles as he spots Cosima and Delphine walking hand-in-hand through the lobby, “Have a nice day, ladies.”

“Thank you, Felix,” they respond in sync.

As they exit the hotel, Delphine looks around, confused, “Where’s the limo?”

“We’re not taking the limo.”

“Are we walking somewhere?”

“Nope, we’re taking that,” Cosima points towards the black sports car by the curb.

Delphine’s mouth drops open, “That’s an Aston Martin Vanquish Voltante.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“That means, it’s a very expensive, very fast car. You didn’t buy it, did you?”

“No way, we’re just borrowing it for the day. Come on, you’re driving.”

“No,” Delphine protests, “I can’t drive that.”

“Yes, you can.”

“Cosima, that car costs at least $300,000.”

“Then you better drive carefully,” Cosima responds with a smirk as she climbs in the passenger seat.

Reluctantly, but also a little excitedly, Delphine gets behind the wheel. She sits there, running her hands over the steering wheel, then stares at the fancy push-button controls.

“Earth to Delphine,” Cosima waves her hand in front of her face.

“Sorry,” Delphine snaps out of her trance, “I just can’t believe I’m in this car.”

“Yeah, and if you put it into drive, you can actually be moving in it.”

Delphine sticks her tongue out at Cosima, “Alright, buckle up.” Delphine pushes the drive button and steps on the gas, pulling out onto Wilshire Boulevard.

After driving slowly down the road amongst all the other vehicles, Cosima turns to Delphine, “Maybe we should take Ashton somewhere you can actually enjoy driving him.”

“Aston,” Delphine laughs. “Seriously?”

Cosima nods, “This car wasn’t meant to be driven in traffic.”

“Alright,” Delphine excitedly makes a u-turn and heads west. They eventually reach the Pacific Coast Highway along the ocean. Fortunately, the traffic is light and Delphine is able to pick up speed, her curls blowing in the wind. “This is so cool!” she shouts.

Cosima smiles at the look of absolute delight on Delphine’s face as they drive up into Malibu before turning around to drive back down with miles of beach at their side.

“I feel a little like James Bond in this car. I’m Cormier, Delphine Cormier.”

“Does that make me a Cormier girl?”

“I suppose it does.”

“I need to think of an exotic name.”

“I think Cosima is pretty exotic. What does it mean?”

“Order and beauty of the universe.”

“That’s lovely,” Delphine smiles. “Mine just means dolphin.”

“I think that’s cute. Dolphins are one of the most intelligent animals. At least you weren’t named after something dumb like a blobfish. Blobphine doesn’t have the same, sexy ring to it.”

“No,” Delphine laughs, “it definitely doesn’t. Want to stop for lunch?”

“What did you have in mind?”

“You’ll see.” Delphine exits into Santa Monica and drives down Lincoln Boulevard, eventually reaching Washington Boulevard, where she makes a left and pulls into a drive-thru line.

“In-n-Out,” Cosima smiles.

“I only take dates to the fanciest places in my $300,000 Aston Martin,” Delphine winks.

“What can I get for you?” the order taker asks as he steps up to their window.

“I’d like a double-double animal style, with animal style fries, and a neapolitan shake,” Delphine orders.

“Excellent choice! And for you?”

“I’ll have what she’s having,” Cosima responds.

“Will that be for the car?”

“Yes.”

“Great, that’ll be $21.45 at the first window.”

After getting their food, Delphine drives down towards the ocean and parks the car, “Come on, I don’t want to get this car dirty.”

They walk down and sit on a bench overlooking the beach as they eat their lunch.

“This is so bad, but so damn good,” Cosima enthuses as she grabs a handful of fries and stuffs them in her mouth.

“Mmmhmm,” Delphine agrees as she sips her shake. “Do you have In-n-Out in San Francisco?”

“There’s really only one in town. It’s by the Fisherman’s Wharf, which isn’t too far from where I work. Sometimes my friend, Scott, and I will sneak over there for lunch, indulge every once in a while.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Totally. Do you come down to the beach often?”

“I try to take the bus down here several times throughout the summer. I like to rollerblade down the boardwalk.”

“I’ve never rollerbladed.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Cosima nods.

“It’s basically like ice skating on dry land.”

“Yeah, I haven’t ice skated either.”

“What is wrong with you?”

“Hey, I told you I’m not sporty, remember? It all seems like a recipe for disaster.”

“We’re doing it.”

“Doing what?”

“Rollerblading.”

“No, we’re not.”

“I thought you said you were going to spend the day having fun in the sun with me?”

“Yeah, I did, but breaking an ankle isn’t fun.”

“You won’t break an ankle. Come on, I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

“We don’t even have rollerblades.”

“There’s a place just down the boardwalk where we can rent them.”

“I don’t know.”

“Please,” Delphine gives her pleading eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like,” Cosima points at her face, “that.”

“Is it making it hard for you to say no?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” Delphine smiles, “then come rollerblade with me. I won’t let you get hurt.”

“Fine,” Cosima agrees as she finishes her meal.

Delphine jumps up from the bench, “Thank you!”

They rent rollerblades, pads, and helmets and Delphine helps Cosima get into her blades, “Alright, stand up.”

“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can,” Delphine stands, extends her hands to Cosima, and pulls her to her feet.

“Whoa, I’m rolling,” Cosima yelps.

“You’re fine, rolling is natural on wheels.”

“Just don’t let go.”

“Well, let me at least have one hand back so we can both skate forward.”

Cosima releases Delphine’s right hand, keeping a tight hold on her left so they can skate side by side. “Now what?”

“Now move your feet like this,” Delphine starts skating, bringing Cosima along with her. “Cosima, you need to use your feet, too, I can’t drag you up and down this boardwalk.”

Cosima tries to copy Delphine’s moves but stumbles a little, “Delphine!”

“I’ve got you, keep going.” Cosima tries again, “Much better!” Delphine starts rolling a little faster, forcing Cosima to keep up. “You’re doing it.”

“I am? I am!” Cosima celebrates as they travel down the boardwalk. “This is actually kinda fun.”

“I know.”

“Delphine?”

“Yeah?”

“How do we stop?”

“There’s a heel stop on the right blade. Lift your right toe and push down on the heel. We’ll do it together. One, two, three, stop.” They both do the maneuver, Delphine stopping perfectly while Cosima wobbles and lets out a loud shriek. Delphine pulls her into her arms to steady her, “I got you.”

Cosima looks up at Delphine, their faces just inches apart, “Thanks for the save.”

“Anytime.”

Cosima’s eyes glance from Delphine’s eyes to her lips, then quickly back to her eyes, “So, um, should we skate back to the rental place?”

“Yes, but maybe you should work on the stopping part before we do.” Delphine lets go of Cosima’s hand.

Cosima rolls slowly and then lifts her toe, putting pressure on the brake, “I stopped!”

“Good job! Now keep doing that.”

“Wait,” Cosima extends her hand.

“You can do it on your own now.”

“I know, but I’d rather hold your hand.”

“Okay,” Delphine takes her hand, “but you better keep up.”

“Delphine!” Cosima shouts as Delphine takes off and she struggles to match her pace.

They approach the skate rental, “Alright, it’s time to show off your improved braking skills. One, two, three, stop.” They both lift their toes and push back on the brake in tandem, coming to a perfect stop. “Very good!”

“Thanks, coach!”

“Aren’t you glad you tried that?” Delphine asks as they return the equipment.

“Yeah, it was a lot more fun than I imagined it would be.”

“And you’re still in one piece.”

“I am, but now I’m overheating. What do you say we go cool off?” Cosima looks out towards the ocean.

“I’m not wearing a bathing suit.”

“Neither am I,” Cosima wiggles her eyebrows.

“I would gladly go skinny dipping with you, Cosima, but this is not a nude beach.”

“You’re right, it’s not. I guess we better go buy swim suits.”

Cosima drags Delphine to the closest swim shop. Cosima opts for a maroon tie dye halter top type bikini, while Delphine chooses a more traditional black bikini. They purchase the suits, along with a couple beach towels, and find a spot on the sand to leave their stuff.

“Come on, race you to the water,” Cosima starts running, getting a head start on Delphine, who quickly catches up and narrowly beats her to the water. “Not fair using those legs like that,” Cosima complains.

“I can’t help it if you’re a slow poke,” Delphine shrugs.

“Who you calling slow poke, bean pole?”

“Bean pole?”

“Yeah, look at those string bean legs,” Cosima bends down and tackles Delphine, knocking her backwards into the water.

“Cosima!” Delphine shouts. “I’m going to kill you.” Cosima runs away from Delphine, who gives chase down the sand. “Did you forget about these bean pole legs?” Delphine asks as she catches up, nabbing Cosima around her waist and lifting her off the ground.

“Maybe I like it when you catch me.”

“Do you like it when I do this?” Delphine tosses Cosima in the ocean. When she doesn’t immediately surface, Delphine panics, wading in after her, “Cosima?” Suddenly, her legs are grabbed and she’s pulled under water.

Cosima laughs as they come up for air, “Gotcha!”

“You think that’s funny?”

“Yup.”

“How about this?” Delphine splashes Cosima who instantly splashes her back.

“Remember what happened last time we got into a water fight like this?”

“Yes, you almost drowned for real.”

“What about after that?” Cosima asks as she moves in real close, her hands disappearing under the surface.

“Don’t even start,” Delphine warns as she stills Cosima’s hands on her hips.

“I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Sure you weren’t. Come on, let’s swim a little.” Delphine dives underwater and swims off with Cosima on her tail.

“Now I know why you’re named for the dolphins, you swim just like them,” Cosima remarks as they stop to rest, their heads bobbing just above the surface.

“You’re not too bad yourself.”

“It helps when your college roommate was on the swim team and insisted on dragging you along to the pool.”

“I can see how that would help build your swimming muscles. This water is really cold, let’s go warm up.”

“That’s what I was trying to do earlier.”

“I meant lay out in the sun, not any of the funny business you had in mind,” Delphine starts walking out of the water towards their towels.

“That’s what I was going to suggest,” Cosima insists as she follows after her.

Delphine spreads out her towel and Cosima places hers right beside it. “This is nice,” Delphine observes, looking out on the ocean as they lay side by side.

“Yeah, it is,” Cosima nods her agreement, her eyes fixed on Delphine.

Delphine turns to face her, “You’re not even looking at the view.”

“Yes, I am.”

Delphine laughs, “Okay, well try looking at that view, too,” she points towards the ocean.

Cosima finally turns her head, “I guess that’s pretty nice, also.”

“I love watching the waves roll in, it’s so calming.”

Cosima lays back and rests her head on Delphine’s shoulder as they stare out at the water, “Do you think this is different because we were friends first?”

“When were we friends?”

“Didn't you think we became friends on the drive from Hollywood to Beverly Hills?”

“Were you planning on making us friendship bracelets?”

“Maybe I was,” Cosima shrugs.

“I don’t know if I knew enough about you then to consider us friends, maybe travel buddies. We didn’t exchange numbers and plan to keep in touch.”

“Oh, I’d say we’ve done plenty of touching.”

“Touché.”

“Seriously, though, you already said you don’t spoon clients, what else have we done that you’ve never done with anyone else?”

“Everything, I suppose. For starters, no one ever asked me to stay a week with them. I never went to meals or played games or watched movies or spent time at the beach with any of the others. It was strictly in and out, literally.”

“I guess this is more like what escorts must do.”

“I suppose, to an extent, though I don’t think that would be something I’d like to do.”

“Why not?”

“What if I couldn’t stand the person? I’d be stuck with them and it would be a nightmare.”

“But this isn’t a nightmare, right?”

“No, but you’re the exception.”

“I am?” Cosima grins.

“Whether or not I considered us friends at the end of our little road trip, I did enjoy your company. You needed help and I imposed myself on you to make a quick buck and you were pretty nice about it.”

“Pretty nice? I think I was exceptionally nice.”

“You’re the nicest person I’ve ever carjacked. Satisfied?”

“Very.”

“When you asked me to stay, I knew we’d have a good time together. And I don’t just mean in bed.”

“Yeah, because we had a good rapport before the sex, when we became friends in the car.”

“You’re really stuck on this friends thing, aren’t you?”

“I just really like spending time with you.”

“I like spending time with you, too.”

“And I think that because we were friends first it’s made this easier and enabled us to get closer and not just be about sex and—” Cosima’s phone rings. She pulls the phone out of the pocket of her now sand immersed shorts, “Excuse me a sec.” She answers the call, “Hey, Tony, what’s up? … Dude, of course I'm going to be there, I wouldn't miss it for the world. … Yeah, absolutely. I'll see you tonight.” She hangs up.

“You have somewhere to be later?” Delphine asks.

“Tonight is the opening of my best friend’s bar and I promised him I'd be there.”

“Okay.”

“In San Francisco.”

“San Francisco? How are you going to accomplish that?”

“You know those things in the sky? Oh, there’s one now,” she points in the distance, “I think they call them airplanes.”

“You’re going to fly there tonight? What about your meeting tomorrow?”

“I’ll be back in time, it’s a pretty quick flight.”

“I see. Okay, well, if you don't want me staying at the hotel while you're gone, I can go home and—”

“How do you feel about mechanical bulls?” Cosima interrupts.

“Pardon?

“Come with me tonight.”

“You want me to go with you to San Francisco?”

“Yeah, that was the deal, right? The whole week?”

“Yes, but that was here in Los Angeles. You really want to bring me to your friend's event? Won't that be awkward?”

“For who?”

“How will you explain me to your friends?”

“Um, no offense, Delphine, but when they see you, I think you're the one who'll need to explain what you're doing with me.”

“Oh stop,” Delphine swats her arm, “I’ll just tell them you paid me to be with you.”

“Funny. But, really, I want you to come, it’ll be fun. We’ll stay a few hours, then fly back here.”

“Okay,” Delphine decides, “let’s do it.”

“Yes!” Cosima hops up and extends her hand to Delphine, helping her to her feet. “We better head back to the hotel and change. I’ll arrange for the jet in the car.”

“Jet?”

“Dyad has a deal with a private jet service, we can take that tonight.”

“Wow, okay. Why hadn’t you planned any of this ahead of time?”

“I meant to, but I guess I just got pleasantly distracted by something this week,” she winks. “Don’t tell Tony.”

“My lips are sealed.”

———

“I’m going to miss that car,” Delphine laments after she hands the keys to Raj. “Thank you for getting it for me.”

“It was my pleasure,” Cosima smiles.

“What should I wear tonight?” Delphine asks once they return to their room.

“The bar is totally casual, so I guess just jeans and a nice top.”

“Is there really a mechanical bull?”

“Yup.”

“I did get this blouse at the store,” she holds up the white blouse with horse print.

“That’s cute, you should totally wear that.”

Delphine pairs the top with her black skinny jeans and boots, while Cosima opts for maroon skinny jeans and a maroon cut out thermal top.

Martin drives them to the Santa Monica airport, pulling up right on the runway, practically to the steps of the plane. “Have a wonderful evening,” he says as they exit the limo.

“Thank you, Martin,” Cosima pats his shoulder.

“This is incroyable,” Delphine marvels as they board. “Do you fly like this often?”

“No, just when I need to get down here for Dyad business. I tend to miss flights a lot, so they started having me fly private.”

“That’s not a bad compromise.”

“I guess not, but it is kind of a lonely way to fly. I’m glad I’ve got you with me this time.” Cosima takes Delphine’s hand and entwines their fingers as the plane takes off, “San Francisco, here we come!”

They arrive in San Francisco just as the sun sets and are treated to a gorgeous view of the city as they land.

“Welcome to my hometown,” Cosima announces as they exit the plane on the runway. They head to the BART station under the airport and ride the subway into town, exiting at the Civic Center station.

As they walk through the streets of San Francisco, Cosima points out all her favorite places: her favorite breakfast spot, her favorite ice cream parlor, the best sushi joint, and more. After walking for about twenty minutes, they come to a stop. “Here we are,” Cosima announces.

Delphine looks up at the sign, “Sawicki’s.”

“That’s Tony’s last name. You ready to enter the madhouse?” Delphine nods and Cosima opens the door. Music and laughter come pouring from the space. To the left are numerous tables and chairs, with the bar set back against the wall. To the right is a pool table, arcade games, and the infamous mechanical bull. And towards the back is a jukebox and small dance floor.

“Dreads!” a voice shouts over the noise. A guy with long hair and a goatee, about Cosima’s height, rushes towards them and envelops Cosima in a bear hug, “You made it!”

“I told you I wouldn't miss your big night.”

“And who is this fine specimen you've got with you?” Tony asks as he gives Delphine the once over.

“This is my girlfriend, Delphine,” Cosima announces proudly.

“Girlfriend? Since when do you have a girlfriend?”

“Since I met Delphine in LA and we really hit it off.”

“In under a week? Damn, Dreads, you've got some serious game I’m not aware of. Delfine,” Tony takes her hand and gives it a kiss, “it is lovely to meet you. You'll need to tell me how this nerd scored such a babe.”

“Oh, I don't know, I think I got pretty lucky,” Delphine smiles. “It’s nice to meet you, Tony, you’ve got a great place here.”

“And you’ve got a smokin’ accent. Hey, Geek Squad,” Tony shouts towards the arcade area, “your fearless leader has arrived.”

A group of six rush over. “Cosima, I’m glad you were able to get back here tonight,” a young man in glasses enthuses.

“Of course I was, Scotty. Guys, I want you to meet Delphine. Delphine, this is Scott, he’s my right hand man in the lab and we’ve been buds since grad school. Mika, here, is our tech genius. She can decipher binary like nobody’s business. Scott and Mika were my first two hires at Complex Laboratories and I couldn’t have accomplished any of my successes without them and the rest of our team. Then you’ve got Doomsday, Painmaker, and Hell Wizard. They have real names, too, but nobody knows exactly what they are. And this is Jennifer, the swimming sensation roommate at Berkeley I told you about earlier.”

Delphine shakes all their hands, “It’s so lovely to meet you all. Complex Laboratories, huh? How’d you come up with that name?”

“Here we go,” Scott laughs. “Cosima loves to tell this story.”

“Wait, let me get a round of drinks,” Tony interrupts, “I think we’re gonna need it.”

After everyone has a beer, Cosima begins, “First, a little backstory, when Scott and I were at grad school in Minnesota, Leekie came to give a lecture. He was going on about all this self-directed evolution mumbo jumbo that Dyad was into. Sort of like body-mod, but even more advanced like robotic eyes and prehensile tails. I didn’t buy into any of that bullshit and I let him know it. We sort of got into it and then he asked what my focus at school was. So I start telling him and, apparently, he had read some of the studies I had written.”

“She’s being modest,” Scott chimes in. “She had already synthesized a drug to pinpoint dead follicles to promote hair regrowth and been written up in all the science papers. Leekie knew exactly who she was. At one point, as they were butting heads, she asked if he wanted to be part of her clinical drug trial.”

“You did not?” Delphine gasps.

“He looked like he could use some help in the follicular area,” Cosima shrugs. “Anyway, he gave me his business card and said Dyad would be interested in talking to me. That led to them giving me a grant to start my own lab.”

“Yeah, after he saw the extreme monetary potential in having Cosima working for them,” Scott adds.

“Scott’s not a big fan of Leekie’s, if you couldn’t tell.”

“He’s an ass.”

“Would you please let me finish telling Delphine the story?”

“Go right ahead.”

“Okay, so I knew I wanted to establish the lab here, in my hometown, so I convinced Scotty to move out here and come work with me. Then I forced him look for lab space with me until we found the perfect building to house it down by Pier 15, right near the Exploratorium. The realtor handed me this massive lease to sign. I read it over, it was like 11 million pages, I turned to Scott, pointed at the paperwork, and said, ‘Dude, that’s complex.’ Right then, it was like a eureka moment. They needed a name to put on the building, I needed to start this company, so I called it Complex Laboratories. Luckily, the name wasn’t already taken, I got incorporated, and the rest is history.”

“That’s a wonderful story,” Delphine smiles. “And I really like the name. It suits you.”

“Wow, Cosima, you got a girl that didn’t fall asleep during your boring ass story,” Tony interjects. “I think she’s a keeper.”

“Shut up,” Cosima punches him playfully in the arm. “Come on, Tone, let’s let the bull out of the gate. Who’s down to ride the beast first?”

“Come on, Fitzy,” Tony puts his arm around Jennifer and walks her towards the mechanical bull, “you’re the only athletic one here, we’re counting on you.”

“I’ll try my best,” Jennifer says as she mounts the bull.

“3…2…1...ride,” Tony shouts.

She manages to stay on for 7.7 seconds before gracefully taking a dive.

“That was an awesome start,” Tony congratulates her. “And would you look at that, you’re number one on the leaderboard. Who wants to try to unseat her? Hell Wizard?”

“Alright, I’ll give it a try.” He stays on for 3 seconds.

“Well, at least you’re in second. Who’s next?”

Painmaker takes a turn, getting bucked off in 3.5 seconds. Mika manages to stay on for 5 seconds. Doomsday only lasts a pathetic 2.2 seconds.

“Tony, why don’t you show us what your made of?” Jennifer challenges.

“Well, I didn’t want to embarrass everyone, but if you insist,” Tony hops up on the bull.

“3…2…1...ride,” they all yell as the bull begins to buck.

“Easy peasy,” Tony brags as he holds on tightly, flailing this way and that until, suddenly, the bull’s quick dip forward takes him by surprise and he falls off.

“6.2 seconds,” Jennifer announces.

“Not bad,” Tony nods. “I’ll do better next time, I just didn’t want to show everyone up the first time out.”

“Sure, Tone. Go ahead, Scotty,” Cosima encourages.

“No, that’s okay, I think I’ll sit this one out.”

“Dude, you can do it, you just gotta take the bull by the horns.”

“You’re so wise, Cosima.”

“I know.”

“Fine, I’ll try,” he climbs up on the bull. As soon as it moves, Scott lets out the loudest shriek imaginable, causing everyone in the bar to laugh hysterically. He manages to stay on for 4.3 seconds before the bull sends him flying off.

“Not bad, man, and the comedy factor alone was priceless,” Tony pats him on the back. “Dreads, it’s your turn.”

“Yeah, Cosima, take the bull by the horns,” Scott mimics.

Cosima sticks her tongue at him before removing her glasses, “Will you hold these for me?”

“Certainly,” Delphine smiles. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

“Don’t worry, Delfine, if anything happens to Cosima, I’ll be here to console you.”

“Very funny, Tony,” Cosima gives him a playful shove as she makes her way to the bull.

Everyone counts her down, “3…2…1…ride.” She makes eye contact with Delphine just before the bull starts jerking her around.

“Hold on, Cosima,” Delphine shouts, then bites her lip nervously as she watches Cosima get whipped around like a rag doll.

“This is fucking insane,” Cosima yells just before she goes flying off the side.

Delphine rushes over, “Are you okay?”

“I’m alive,” Cosima responds from her place flat against the mat, “I think.” Delphine extends her hand and helps Cosima to her feet. “How’d I do?”

“4.2 seconds,” Tony responds.

“Scotty beat me by .1 second?”

“Yup, better luck next time,” Scott replies joyfully.

“Delfine, you’re up.”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

“Delphine, if I just did that, you can totally do it,” Cosima encourages.

“Okay,” she hands Cosima her glasses back.

“You got this, cowgirl,” Cosima encourages with a playful pat to her backside.

Delphine climbs up on the bull, holds the reins securely in her right hand and raises her left in the air. The bull starts rocking this way and that, but Delphine shifts her weight expertly with each movement, her thighs tightly gripping the bull.

“Yeah, Delphine,” Cosima cheers as she reaches 7 seconds, “you’re killing it!”

It’s not until the bull makes a quick buck forward and then left that Delphine can’t hold on any longer and slips off, even managing to making falling look good as she somehow lands on her feet.

“9.6 seconds,” Cosima shouts as she rushes towards Delphine and jumps into her arms. “That was awesome!”

“Now we know why Dreads is in such a good mood,” Tony observes cheekily. “We’ve got a new leader. Which of you yahoos thinks they can best the almighty Delfine?” Tony challenges the rest of his patrons, who line up for their shot.

After mingling, drinking, shooting pool, and watching as nobody comes close to Delphine’s time on the bull, Scott turns to Cosima. “The time has come, Cosima. We must destroy the aliens and save Area 51. Will you join me in this crusade against the evil invaders?”

“I will,” Cosima agrees. “Delphine, Scotty and I are gonna go play a video game, think you’ll be okay alone with Tony?”

“Oh, I think I’ll be just fine.”

“Holler if you need me.”

“She’s about to forget all about you,” Tony warns.

Scott feeds quarters in the machine, “Red or blue?”

“Red,” Cosima answers immediately as she picks up said gun. Scott takes the blue gun and they begin playing, shooting every alien and zombie in their path.

“So what’s the deal with Delphine?” Scott asks.

“What do you mean?”

“How’d you meet?”

“Oh, well, I got lost in LA, needed directions, and she helped me out.”

“Directions? I thought they always get you a car when you’re down there?”

“They did, but I was in a hurry, the car wasn’t available, so I stole one of Leekie’s.”

“Oh boy, as much as I’d love to have seen his face, I already know you getting behind the wheel is a bad idea.”

“Yeah, but it worked out better than expected.”

“I can see that.” Scott steals a glance towards the bar, “She’s really, um, is it okay if I say your girlfriend is really hot?”

“Dude, watch out,” Cosima shoots a quickly approaching alien. “Yes, Scotty, she’s hot.”

“She seems nice, too.”

“She is,” Cosima smiles, “she’s so sweet. She’s also super smart and compassionate and so much fun. We laugh a lot. Oh, and remember how I said Battleship would be even better if it was Strip Battleship.”

“Yeah.”

“It totally is.”

“Whoa!” Scott’s mouth drops open distractedly and he takes incoming fire.

“You just died, dude, come on, you gotta focus, I can’t do this alone.”

“How can I focus after you dropped that little tidbit?”

“Just imagine, one day, you’ll find a girl willing to play with you.”

“That makes it worse,” he groans.

“Your bar is really wonderful, Tony,” Delphine remarks as she sips a glass of red wine.

“Thanks, I owe it all to Dreads. I couldn't have opened this place without her.”

“How so?”

“I was rejected at every bank I went into for a loan to buy and renovate this place. I had the whole business plan written up, sketches of how I wanted it to look, everything I needed, except good credit. Cosima went behind my back to one of the banks and co-signed the loan. I didn’t even ask her to help, but she said she believed in me and my ability to make this place a success. She even bought the mechanical bull, pool table, and video games with her own money.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a great friend.”

“She’s the best. But that’s Dreads, she’s always helping people, like with the activity room for the sick kids.”

“Oh yes, at the Children’s Hospital in LA.”

“Yeah, and the one here at UCSF.”

“There’s more than one playroom?”

“Yeah, the Niehaus of Fun started at the hospital here, then she opened the one in LA a few months later. I think she’s got them in 6 or 7 hospitals now with plans for lots more. I know she goes to see the kids at the one in LA a few times a year, but she visits the one here at least twice a month.”

“That’s so sweet. We went to a fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital yesterday and I saw how much this young boy, Trevor, adores her.”

“Oh yeah, kids love Cosima. Since she started earning money, all she’s wanted to do was make sure kids in hospitals had fun, that they had more to do than just sit around worrying that they wouldn’t survive, you know, cause of what she went through.”

“What she went through?”

“Her illness.” Based on the surprised look in Delphine’s eyes, Tony quickly realizes she has no idea about any of this. “Oh man, forget I said anything, she doesn’t talk about it much, I just assumed she’d have told you.”

“No, she hasn’t. Will you? Please.”

Tony looks over towards Cosima, who’s still immersed in Area 51 with Scott, then back at Delphine, “Okay, but if it ever comes up, you didn’t hear it from me.”

“You have my word.”

“When Cosima was 10, she developed a really nasty cough, like full of phlegmy blood nasty.”

“Oh no,” Delphine gasps.

“It turned out she had this really rare lung disease, LAM. It almost never develops in children, I guess it typically strikes women in their 30s and 40s. We used to joke that because she was smarter than most adults, the disease was probably confused about her age,” he laughs. “Anyway, it progressed to the point where she had cysts in her lungs and needed to be hospitalized because she had to be hooked up to this machine to help her breathe. It was so tough on her, being stuck there. Cosima used to make me bring her her homework everyday after school. I kept telling her to take advantage of not being in school, but she didn’t want to fall behind, even though she was way far ahead of every other kid in the 5th grade. I think she secretly just wanted the company and I didn’t mind, cause I could copy off her work and I got to hang with my best bud. I remember just being so scared that I’d lose her. She was the only one who ever really got me, I think maybe she still is. She’s always been there for me and I’d give her my lungs if she needed them, but I just felt so powerless to help her that bringing her homework was the least I could do. I also snuck her dog in to see her a few times.”

“Louis.”

“Yeah,” he nods. “So she told you about him?”

“A little.”

“That little guy was so sad without Cosima at home that, as soon as he saw her in the hospital, he jumped all over her, licking her face like she had bathed in chicken fat. The third time I brought him, a nurse caught us and and said he couldn’t be there cause some of the kids could be allergic. It really sucked cause he made Cosima so happy and it was so good to see her smile. Nobody has a smile quite like Cosima’s.”

Delphine nods, “She really does have a wonderful smile.”

“She always tried to put on a brave face, especially for her parents, but I knew she was scared. She went through so much. This disease was so rare in kids, the doctors had a hard time finding the proper treatment for her, but, eventually, they figured it out and she was cured. She spent nearly the entire 5th grade living in the hospital, she even celebrated her 11th birthday there. From the moment she was released, all she would talk about was how she was going to dedicate her life to making drugs. At first, I thought she meant rolling joints, but she had much loftier goals in mind. Although, she’s also an ace joint roller. But she’s accomplished what she set out to do. That girl, she puts her mind to something, there’s no stopping her.”

Delphine can’t fight the tears from pooling in her eyes as she steals a glance at Cosima, laughing and playing with Scott, “I can’t believe she went through all of that.”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, she’s totally healthy now,” Tony reassures, handing her a napkin off the bar.

“Thank you,” Delphine wipes her eyes. “You’d never know she had experienced such trauma. I haven’t known her long, but she has this childlike glee about her, she laughs all the time and makes stupid jokes, and is so sweet. I mean, she does have the occasional grumpy period where she sort of checks out on you, but it doesn’t last long.”

“Oh, you’ve experienced that already?”

“Yes, briefly.”

“The thing about Cosima is that she’s got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met, but, because it’s so big, it’s also an easier target for pain. She just cares a lot, you know? But I can tell you, from almost three decades of experience, that once you’re in Cosima’s heart, there’s no warmer place you can be.”

“I’m beginning to realize that,” Delphine smiles softly.

Something suddenly catches Tony’s eye, “Uh oh.”

Delphine follows Tony’s eye-line to a girl heading straight towards Cosima, “Who's that?”

“Trouble.”

“Who is she?”

“Emi, Cosima's ex.”

Emi taps Cosima on the shoulder, “Hey, stranger.”

“Emi,” a startled Cosima lowers her gun and instantly gets blown up, losing the game.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Scotty, I’m counting on you to continue the good fight.” He gives her a thumbs up as he avoids looking at Emi.

“Nice to see you, too, Scott.”

“What are you doing here?” Cosima asks.

“I heard about the grand opening and wanted to stop by and see the place. It’s nice,” she looks around, “could use a stage, though.”

“Yeah, it’s not really a live music venue.”

“Too bad, the band would have rocked this joint.”

“I’m sure.”

“How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in months.”

“I’m good, just been busy with work. You?”

“Same, we’ve had a bunch of gigs around town.”

“That’s great.”

“Yeah, I was hoping I’d see you at one, I emailed you a list of our dates.”

“Sorry, been working, like I said.”

“All work and no play makes Cosima a dull girl.”

“I find some time for play.”

“I see that. Guess just not with me.”

“Well it is my best friend's grand opening. And you and I aren’t together anymore.”

“That can be remedied.”

Tony and Delphine watch as Emi reaches up and strokes Cosima’s face. “Tony, would you excuse me.”

“Certainly,” Tony smiles as Delphine gets up and heads towards Cosima.

“Chéri, there you are.” Emi pulls her hand back as Delphine wraps her arms around Cosima from behind and kisses her cheek. “Hi, I'm Delphine,” she sticks her hand out.

“Emi,” they shake hands.

“Emi, would you mind if I borrowed Cosima for a dance.”

“No, of course not. It was good seeing you again, Cosima.”

“Yeah, you too, Emi,” Cosima responds cordially as Delphine takes her hand and leads her to the dance floor. “Thanks for the save back there,” Cosima says as they sway. “Emi is my ex.”

“I heard.”

“Wait a sec,” Cosima glances up into Delphine’s eyes, “were you saving me or—?”

Delphine shrugs, “I guess you're not the only one with a jealous streak.”

“Wow,” Cosima grins. “Wowey wow wow.”

Delphine rolls her eyes, “Shut up and dance with me.” Delphine pulls her close and they continue dancing, Cosima’s smile still fixed across her lips.

When the next song begins, and the tempo changes, Cosima takes a step back, “I love this song!” She starts to tap her foot and play air guitar to the beat, then grabs Delphine’s hand and sings along as the lyrics begin, acting out the song dramatically.

_“Pretty woman, walkin’ down the street._  
_Pretty woman, the kind I’d like to meet._  
_Pretty woman, I don’t believe you, you’re not the truth._  
_No one could look as good as you,”_ she points to Delphine.  
_“Mercy,”_ she clutches her chest.

Emi, seeing this display, quickly turns and leaves the bar in a huff.

_“Pretty woman, won't you pardon me._  
_Pretty woman, I couldn't help but see._  
_Pretty woman, that you look lovely as can be._  
_Are you lonely just like me?”_ Cosima points to herself then growls at Delphine, who can’t help but laugh.

_“Pretty woman, stop awhile._  
_Pretty woman, talk awhile._  
_Pretty woman, give your smile to me._  
_Pretty woman, yeah, yeah, yeah._  
_Pretty woman, look my way._  
_Pretty woman, say you'll stay with me._  
_’Cause I need you, I'll treat you right._  
_Come with me baby, be mine tonight,”_ Cosima draws out tonight with flourish.

_“Pretty woman, don't walk on by._  
_Pretty woman, don't make me cry._  
_Pretty woman, don't walk away, hey, okay._  
_If that's the way it must be, okay._  
_I guess I'll go on home, it's late._  
_There’ll be tomorrow night, but wait._  
_What do I see?”_ Cosima plays with her glasses, bringing them away from and back towards her eyes goofily.  
_“Is she walkin' back to me?_  
_Yeah, she's walkin' back to me._  
_Oh, oh, pretty woman,”_ she dips Delphine and everyone in the bar starts clapping.

“Thank you, thank you,” Cosima takes a bow. “That ends the entertainment portion of our evening, please return to your regularly scheduled drinking activities.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone serenade me before,” Delphine smiles.

“Really? That’s a shame. You should be serenaded often. Especially to a song as fitting as that one.”

“Are you flirting with me?”

“Maybe,” Cosima shrugs. “Is it working?”

“Maybe,” Delphine shrugs back.

“Hey, how would you say pretty woman in French?”

“Belle femme.”

“Belle femme,” Cosima sings, “walking down the street.”

“Belle femme, marchant dans la rue,” Delphine corrects.

“Come with me, baby, be mine tonight.”

“Viens avec moi bébé, sois mienne ce soir.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Cosima winks as she takes Delphine’s hand. “Tony, this was a killer grand opening, I look forward to spending many more nights here, but, right now, Delphine and I need to get going. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Thanks for coming back up here tonight and for everything you did to help me get this place opened,” Tony gives her a hug.

“Anything for you, man.”

“Delfine, it was even better having you here than her.”

“I had a great time,” Delphine hugs him. “I know the bar will be a huge success.”

“Thank you. Bring this one back here sometime, Dreads, you can make that routine a weekly thing.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. Goodnight.”

“Night, Cos. Good luck with all your business stuff.”

“Thanks.”

They make quick rounds saying goodbye to the rest of Cosima’s friends before heading outside.

“It’s nice out tonight,” Cosima observes as they walk the streets holding hands.

“Yes, it is,” Delphine agrees. “I really liked your friends.”

“They liked you, too. Man, did you kick ass on that bull. That was insane. I bet it’ll be a long time before anyone stays on there longer than you, if ever.”

“I surprised myself,” Delphine laughs. “I had a lot of fun, I’m glad we came here.”

“So am I.”

“We’re not walking all the way to the airport, are we?” Delphine asks when she realizes they’re not walking back the same way they came.

“Nope,” Cosima responds as she keeps walking.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

After walking for a few more blocks, they come to a stop. Delphine looks up at the building in front of them, confused, “Why are we at fire station 21?”

“Because it’s too late to fly back to LA.”

“Are you planning to commandeer a fire truck?

“No, that would be a disaster. We’re spending the night here.” Cosima lifts up the fire helmet on a dalmatian statue by the door, grabs a key, and unlocks the front door.

“How’d you know that key was there and why are we breaking in here.”

“It’s not breaking in if I used a key.”

“It is if it doesn’t belong to you.”

“Then lucky for the both of us, it does.”

“Huh?”

“I own the place.”

“You what?”

“Welcome to Chez Niehaus,” Cosima flips on the lights.

“You live in a firehouse?”

“A former firehouse.”

“Then why did you have to use a hidden key?”

“Because I left my house keys back at the hotel.”

“Are you serious?”

“As serious as that picture hanging right above the book shelf over there.”

Delphine moves towards the shelf and examines the picture of young, pigtailed girl sitting on the front lawn of a home, “She does kind of resemble you.”

“I would hope so.”

Delphine looks closer, “She doesn’t have a nose ring or dreadlocks, but she does have the same freckle on her cheek. And, yes, that is definitely your smile. That must be Louis,” she points to a little black and white French Bulldog in the photo.

“Yup, the one and only.”

"He's adorable. And so are you." Delphine looks around, “I’ve never heard of anyone living in a firehouse before.”

“You’ve obviously never seen the original _Ghostbusters_. That’s kinda where I got the idea. They worked and lived in fire station and something about it just seemed so cool to me. The old fire station 21 moved to a new location down on Grove about five years ago and left this place abandoned for over a year. I lived a couple blocks from here and that childhood dream kept gnawing at me every time I’d walk past. Eventually, I called the realtor and swooped it up at a great price. And now, this is home sweet home. Let me show you around. This is the living room, I’ve got all my books there, TV, video game consoles, sound system with speakers wired all over the place. Over here is the kitchen and dining area. In there is the bathroom. This is my art space. And that little beauty by the rollaway doors is my Vespa. I like to call it Fleming, after Alexander.”

“He discovered penicillin.”

“Exactly! He’s sort of a hero of mine.”

“That makes sense.” Delphine points to the center of the space, “And the pole.”

“Oh yeah, that was one of the biggest selling points. Gotta have a pole. Well, for sliding down at least. You don't need a pole to make me happy,” she smirks.

“I’ve noticed.”

“Please, follow me up the spiral staircase for the rest of the tour,” Cosima leads Delphine upstairs. “Here we’ve got the bedroom, master bathroom, and a lab so I can do some work from home.”

“This is a nice setup. You’ve got a great place, you’ve really made it homey.”

“Thanks!”

“Can I slide down the pole?”

“By all means, slide away.”

“You go first.”

“Okay,” Cosima grabs hold of the pole and slides down, then looks back up through the hole, “Come on down.”

Delphine copies Cosima’s form and slides down the pole, with Cosima there to steady her when she reaches the bottom. “That was fun, can I do it again?”

“Totally!”

The fourth time she returns to the top of the pole, Delphine notices Cosima’s memorabilia corner full of Star Wars paraphernalia. “Are those lightsabers?”

“Yeah, I’m kind of a big Star Wars fan.”

“I can see that.”

“Hey, Miss, I was a high school fencer, let’s see how you handle one of these.” Cosima hands Delphine the green lightsaber, while she takes the red one. “Ok, young Jedi, en garde.”

They start out clashing lightsabers, then Delphine begins thrusting hers like an epee, poking Cosima lightly in the belly.

“One does not stab Darth Vader and get away with it,” Cosima warns as she swings her saber at Delphine, who is quick on the defense, skillfully blocking the onslaught. Delphine then gets a blow to Cosima’s ribs and Cosima falls to the floor dramatically. “You’ve done it,” Cosima mimics Vader’s heavy breathing, “you’ve killed me.” Cosima shuts her eyes and feigns death. When Delphine doesn’t say anything, Cosima opens her eyes and looks up at her, noticing Delphine’s suddenly solemn face. “Hey, what’s wrong, not into geeky role play?”

“Why didn't you tell me that you were sick?”

“What? I’m not sick, I’m just pretending.”

“I mean your lung issues.”

Cosima immediately stands up, “I am going to kill Tony.”

“Cosima, don’t blame him, it just slipped out when we were talking about the Children's Hospital. Why didn't you mention it yesterday?”

“I don’t know, it just didn’t come up.”

“And when we were talking about my father? You could have shared your experience, why didn’t you?”

“Because I survived.”

“Obviously, and that's a very good thing.”

“I lived through my illness because my parents had really good medical insurance and I got all the best treatment.”

“And my father didn’t,” Delphine nods. “Cosima, just because your story and my father’s had very different endings doesn't mean that you don't deserve to be happy about how yours turned out, that you can’t share something that important with me. I mean, look at everything you've accomplished and how many sick children's lives are being made better because of all you've done for them and all of the people who are getting treatment because of the drugs you developed. That’s only possible because you lived. And I, for one, am so thankful that you did, otherwise I never would have gotten the chance to carjack you and spend this week with you, getting to know you like I have. That would have been tragic.”

“Oh, it would have been tragic, would it?” Cosima makes light.

“Yes, it would have.” Delphine takes Cosima's face in her hands and looks deeply into her eyes, “You are so special, Cosima, and you don't even know it. You're kind and you’re tender and you're just so…” they both glance from each other’s eyes to lips simultaneously, “incredibly irresistible.” Delphine surges forward, her lips crashing against Cosima's extremely welcoming pair. They kiss with the force of five days worth of build up, yearning, and passion. They kiss as though they need the other’s oxygen to survive. And then, as quickly as it started, it stops. Delphine whimpers as Cosima pulls away.

Delphine opens her eyes to find Cosima looking at her, examining her face, the question in Cosima’s eyes as obvious as if she were speaking it. Delphine nods and pulls Cosima's face back towards her own in a torrent of lips and tongues, as hands quickly start removing any barrier between their bodies. Shirts, pants and undergarments are shed as they make their way towards the bed, their lips never separating for more than the few seconds it takes to pull clothing off. They fall onto the mattress, lips still attached, as their hands begin to roam over each other's bodies, every inch of skin instantly set ablaze.

Cosima's legs spread as Delphine slots herself in-between them and grinds against her at just the right angle to drive them simultaneously wild. As their lips feast upon each other, as if they’ve spent their whole lives starving up to now, their hands explore each other bodies as if they’re discovering uncharted territory. This combination of slow and sensual rubbing, kissing, and touching continues for quite a while until every last nerve ending in their bodies mutually combusts and they come in tandem, clinging to one another.

Tears suddenly begin to fall from Delphine’s eyes, dropping onto Cosima’s cheeks.

Cosima reaches up and brushes a loose curl out of her face, “Hey, you okay?”

Delphine nods, “I think I am more okay than I have ever been.”

Cosima smiles and kisses away Delphine’s tears before reclaiming her lips, kissing her softly until they both fall asleep, tangled up in one another to the point where it’s impossible to tell where one stops and the other begins.


	7. Love and Other Drugs

“Cosima,” Delphine places kisses all over her sleepy face, “you need to get up, you have your meeting back in LA in four hours.”

“No,” Cosima snuggles against Delphine.

“Yes,” Delphine responds. “This is a big day for you.”

Cosima opens her eyes and looks into Delphine’s, “I don’t know if I can do it.”

“You can and you will.”

“I don’t even know what to say to make them vote my way.”

“Everything you need to say is in here,” she places her hand on Cosima’s heart.

Cosima picks up Delphine’s hand and kisses her palm, then leans in and kisses her on the lips, “I like doing that. You sure we can’t just stay here and kiss all day?”

“Not unless you want to let your drug go to Kellerman.”

“Good point,” Cosima sits up, “we better get back there.”

Cosima moves to get off the bed, but Delphine pulls her back for another kiss, “I like doing that, too.”

Cosima’s face lights up, “Do you have any idea how badly I’ve wanted to kiss your lips? I think my lips had touched every other part of your body, I was running out of places to compensate for not being able to place them the one place I wanted to most.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m not, I understand your reservations about it and it was totally worth the wait. It means so much to me that you kissed me, Delphine. Last night was so special and so perfect and I just—” Her phone buzzes and she looks over at the text message, “Ugh, it’s Leekie wanting to make sure I won’t be late.” She quickly texts him back, _I’ll be there_. “I don’t think I’ll have time to change back at the hotel before the meeting, will you help me pick something out of my closet to wear?”

“Of course.” Delphine gets out of bed and looks through Cosima’s closet. “Ooh, you should wear this,” she pulls out a very colorful dress.

“Very funny.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a traditional Ukrainian dress. Remember Trevor’s nurse, Helena? She gave it to me last time I was in Los Angeles.”

“I need to see you in this.”

“No way, if I put that on now, you’ll get so aroused we’ll never get back to LA in time for the meeting.”

“You’re probably right,” Delphine rolls her eyes dramatically and continues browsing the closet. “How about this one?” She holds up a red printed drape tie dress.

“Yeah, that’s perfect.”

Delphine bends down and picks up a pair of shoes, “These black ankle boots would look good with it.”

“Totally!”

“Great, now go get cleaned up.”

Cosima heads into the bathroom and turns on the water, “Delphine?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think I showed you what the inside of my shower looks like, did I?”

“No, you didn’t, how very rude.”

“Come on in, I’ll give you the grand tour.” Delphine enters the bathroom. “This is my shower,” Cosima gestures around her.

“I like the Darth Vader shower head.”

“Oh, yeah, Scotty got it for me for my birthday. It’s pretty cool, huh?”

“Oui, very cool.

“Come take a closer look,” Cosima reaches around Delphine’s waist and pulls her into the shower with her.

———

“Oh man, we are gonna cut it so close,” Cosima says as she locks up and puts the key back under the dalmatian’s fire hat.

“Whose fault is that?”

“Yours.”

“Au contraire, I believe you are to blame.”

“Hey, I didn’t pin myself up against the shower wall and have my way with myself.”

“Yes, well, next time you have to be somewhere important, shower alone.”

“Whoa, whoa, let’s not be hasty, being on time is so overrated.”

“But not today, so lead the way.”

As they walk to the BART station, Cosima points out some local attractions like the War Memorial Opera House and the Orpheum Theatre. They reach their station and take the subway to the airport. When they arrive, the jet is waiting for them on the tarmac.

As the plane makes its way to Los Angeles, Cosima starts fidgeting in her seat, her fingers tapping nervously against the armrest. Delphine reaches over and covers the restless hand with her own, giving it a comforting squeeze, “It’s going to be fine.”

“I don’t know if it will.”

“It will. What’s something that helps you relax and get your mind off of things?” Cosima looks up at Delphine with a mischievous smile. “Besides that.”

“Well, there is one thing,” Cosima grabs the plane’s complimentary laptop and brings up YouTube. “Remember when I said I’d like to show you some of my favorite episodes of Bill Nye?”

“Yes.”

“No time like the present.” They start out watching an episode on cells and follow it up with one on static electricity.

“Electricity, it’s static electricity, it’s really shocking. It’s static electricity, it’s static electricity, people are talking. Electricity, it’s static electricity, it’s really shocking,” they sing along as the episode ends and the plane begins its descent into Santa Monica.

“Those were really fun, I can see why you enjoyed the show so much growing up. That’s a great way to get kids interested in science.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Scott is the only other person I’ve met that worshipped the show as much as I did. I used to force Tony to watch with me sometimes after school and he’d usually fall asleep during the episodes. Science is so not his thing.”

“Fortunately for you, I find science fascinating.”

“Very fortunate,” Cosima grins as she leans in and gives Delphine a kiss.

The plane lands and the limo is there to pick them up.

“Hey, Martin,” Cosima gives him a high five as he opens the back door for them.

“Good morning, ladies, I hope you had a nice time on your trip.”

“It was wonderful,” Delphine enthuses, “Thank you for asking.”

“Back to the hotel?” he asks.

“Delphine will be going to the hotel, but I need to be dropped off at the Dyad office.”

“Certainly.”

“Do you feel calmer now?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m still kinda nervous about it, but Bill Nye helped.”

“Good.”

“And so did you.”

“How did I help?”

“By supporting me, being a steadying force for all my jitteriness.”

“Well, I just believe in you and I know it’s all going to work out.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am.”

“Too bad you’re not a member of the board.”

“Remember what you said to me the other day about why you felt the Hendrixes were the best choice to distribute your drug?”

“Yeah.”

“That passion, when you spoke about them and wanting your drug to be able to help people most in need, that’s all you have to show the board.”

“You don’t know them, they’re money first kinda people, not people first people.”

“No, you’re right, I don’t know them, but I know you and I know that you’ve got a way about you that can convince people to do things they never imagined they’d do.”

“What have I convinced you to do?”

“Oh, I don’t know, pretty much everything since we met. It’s like I said this morning, you just need to go in there and speak from the heart. That, plus your adorable little face, is all it’s going to take to persuade them.”

“You think I’m adorable?” Cosima grins. “How about now?” Cosima makes a silly derp face.

“That’s a great look,” Delphine laughs, “do that one for sure.”

“Yeah, you think they’ll side with me then?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“We’re here,” Martin announces as he pulls in front of the Century City office building.

“I think I’m gonna barf.”

“Stop,” Delphine clutches her hand, “you got this.”

“I got this,” Cosima nods.

“That’s the spirit.”

“I’ll see you back at the hotel.”

“Yes and we’ll celebrate.”

“If there’s anything to celebrate.”

“There will be, you’re going to do great.”

“If you say so. We also need to talk.”

“Haven’t we been talking?”

“I mean, there’s something specific I’ve been trying to discuss with you, but we keep getting interrupted.”

“Okay, we’ll talk about it later.”

“Great,” Cosima grins. “See you soon.”

“Bye.”

Cosima exits the limo and Martin closes the door behind her, “Martin, I’ll give you a call when I’m done here.” She starts walking towards the office building then suddenly stops, “Wait,” she turns around and rushes back to the limo, pulling the back door open herself.

“What’s wrong?” Delphine asks with worry.

“Nothing,” she cups Delphine’s face and kisses her on the lips, “I just really needed to do that. Now I’m ready.”

“Bonne chance!”

“Thanks,” Cosima closes the door and actually enters the building this time.

As Martin drives back to the hotel he glances in the rearview mirror. Noticing the enormous smile plastered across Delphine’s lips, he can’t help smiling himself.

“Look who decided to show up today,” Leekie remarks as Cosima walks into the office.

“Of course I did.”

“I’m honored you could tear yourself away from your bed buddy.”

“Is the board here yet?” she asks, ignoring his dig.

“Yes, they’re all waiting in the conference room. You ready to make history with this deal?”

“Yup.”

“Wonderful, then let’s go on in, shall we?”

Cosima takes a deep breath, nods, and follows Leekie into the conference room.

“Hello,” Leekie greets the 12 board members seated around the conference table. “First, I would like to thank you all for giving up your Saturday and joining us for what is sure to be a monumental vote for the futures of both the Dyad Corporation and Complex Laboratories. As you know, Cosima has worked tirelessly for the better part of the last decade developing this drug and after a series of exceptionally promising clinical trials, it is ready to enter the marketplace…”

“Well, well, look who’s back,” Felix hums as Delphine enters the lobby.

“Hello, Felix.”

“You look especially giddy this morning.”

“It’s a beautiful day.”

“Martin said you and Cosima took a trip to San Francisco last night.”

“We did.”

“So I take it things are going well between the two of you?”

“Very well.”

“I am delighted to hear that. And where is your bespectacled paramour today?”

“She had an important business meeting to attend.”

“On a Saturday? It most be very important indeed.”

“Yes, it’s the whole reason she’s in town. And, now, I am going to go up and change, we’re going to have a lot to celebrate when she gets back. I’ll see you later, Felix.”

“Bye, darling, enjoy your celebration.”

“So, as you can see from their proposal,” Leekie continues, “not only will Kellerman pay $750 million for the rights to distribute the drug, but we will earn 1% of the back end in perpetuity once they have recouped their investment, which easily makes the deal worth upwards of $1 billion. This is an astronomical opportunity for Dyad and sets a tremendous precedent for all of our future deals. I implore you to approve this deal and show the world that Dyad is the preeminent force in the scientific community.”

“Thank you, Aldous, for your impassioned speech,” Marion states. “Cosima, do you have anything to add?”

“No, I think Leekie made his case for Kellerman very clear.”

“Okay, then shall we begin the vote?”

“Wait,” Cosima interrupts, “I don’t have anything to add in regards to Kellerman, but I would like to offer a dissenting opinion.”

“Cosima, what are you doing?” Leekie asks through gritted teeth. “I thought we had settled this?”

“No, you settled on Kellerman, I told you I had reservations about them and I still do. I would like to present my argument to the board in favor of Hendrix Pharmaceuticals.”

“You have got to be kidding,” he chortles.

“I’m deadly serious.”

“Okay, Cosima, the floor is yours.”

“Thank you, Marion.”

“This is ridiculous,” Leekie sits down in a huff.

“Leekie was right about one thing, the deal with Kellerman would be quite the windfall for us. But that’s where their suitability for distributing my drug begins and ends. The money is great and all, but true scientists don’t enter the field with dollar signs dancing in their eyes, they get into it because they want to make things better, improve lives, cure illnesses. Alexander Fleming didn’t discover penicillin because he thought it was a way to get rich, he did it because he observed a mold that was destroying bacteria and he realized how beneficial this could be in fighting disease. I don’t know any scientist who sits down at their microscope and thinks today is the day I’m going to discover a drug that will make me rich beyond my wildest dreams. You’d have to be an arrogant fool to ever think that. We do what we do because we are passionate about science and want to make a difference in the lives of people who are suffering. Look, I’m not gonna stand here and tell you it’s not a nice perk to make money as a result, but that cannot be the ultimate goal. And that is the fundamental difference between Leekie and I. He gave you a great argument on behalf of Kellerman from a pure financial standpoint, go with them and we’ll be set for life. Why, so he can add a few more cars to his garage? So you all can keep your children in private school, buy vacation homes in Bali or wherever the hell rich people like to vacation? That’s great, but at what cost? Kellerman’s proposal prices the drug so astronomically that only people with incredible health insurance or bottomless bank accounts can afford it. I did not spend the last seven years developing this drug so that it can only help a small percentage of sick people, I did it so that every person struggling against this devastating disease can have a shot at a longer life. What the Hendrixes are proposing is the widespread availability of this treatment, a drug that doesn’t discriminate against the poor. And, yes, they would be paying much less than Kellerman and we’d only earn half a percent on the back end, but, in the long run, what we sacrifice in profit, we more than make up for in the sheer number of lives extended. As you cast your vote, you have to ask yourself, is your avarice worth other people's suffering? I want you to imagine an 8 year old girl being told her father has been diagnosed with cancer. It’s ravaging his body and he’s slowly withering away from this horrendous disease. This little girl cries herself to sleep every night because, any day now, her father is going to die. Then she hears her parents discussing a drug the doctors said could help him, but they don’t have health insurance and they can’t afford the treatment. They end up going broke trying to pay for any treatment that can possibly relieve his suffering, but, in the end, it’s not enough, not the right treatment, and this little girl has to watch her father lowered into the ground. Is the loss of this child’s father worth lining your pockets? You’re already rich, and you will make more money, but she will never get her father back. When you cast your vote, I hope you’ll think with your hearts and not your wallets. This company can either be renowned for its greed or its compassion. It’s up to you to decide which side of history you want to be on.”

“Thank you, Cosima, you’ve given us a lot to think about. If you’ll excuse us, we’ll begin deliberations and then cast our votes.”

Cosima and Leekie leave the conference room. “I can’t believe you did that,” he snarls.

“I did what I felt was the right thing to do.”

“And you didn’t think to warn me first?”

“Why, so you could try to undermine me? Your unyielding support of Kellerman solely on the basis of financial gain sickens me.”

“Something has gotten into you this week, Cosima. Or someone, more accurately.”

“The only thing that got into me was my ability to see right from wrong.”

“Oh please, Cosima, why can’t you just stick to your children’s hospital passion project and leave well enough alone?”

“You’ll never find value in any human life other than your own.”

“And you think they will?”

“I guess we’ll find out.”

Sarah walks into the lobby of the hotel and heads straight for the front desk, “Hey there,” she looks at the clerk’s name tag, “Raj. I’m Sarah Manning, I’m supposed to pick up an envelope.”

“Ah, yes, Ms. Cormier had us hold it for you.” He reaches under the desk and retrieves the envelope, “Here you are.”

“Thank you. Is French… um… Ms. Cormier here right now?”

“I believe so. Would you like me to call her for you?”

“Yes, I would, thanks.”

Raj picks up the phone and dials the penthouse.

“Hello?   
“Ms. Cormier, this is Raj at the front desk, Sarah Manning is here to see you.”

“That only took her six days. Thank you, Raj, I’ll be right down.”

“She’ll be down shortly,” he informs Sarah.

Sarah looks around the lobby, “This place is pretty swanky. What does a room in this joint go for?”

“Our signature room is currently booking at $645 a night.”

“Bloody hell, do you wipe your guests’ asses when they use the toilet here for that money?”

“No, there’s a bidet for that.”

“Sarah,” Delphine calls out in exasperation as she exits the elevator, “what took you so long to get down here and pick up the money?”

“Chill out, Frenchie, I’ve got a good excu—” Sarah stops mid-sentence when she turns around and lays eyes on Delphine, who’s now wearing a black linen short suit with a black and white print blouse underneath. “Who are you and what have you done with Delphine?”

“Oh stop.”

“You’re her clone, aren’t ya?”

“You got me.”

“Seriously, Frenchie, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything but tank tops. And your hair, you never take that freakin’ wig off when you’re working.”

“This is a different kind of job.”

“No shit. Raj, here, was just telling me the nightly rate for a room here. That’s practically our whole month’s rent.”

“Speaking of rent, I’m surprised Mrs. S hasn’t thrown us out yet. Or has she?”

“She gave us an extension.”

“How’d you manage that?”

“We should probably discuss this somewhere a little more private.”

Delphine takes Sarah out by the pool, they grab iced teas at the bar and sit down at a table. “Okay, now tell me what’s going on.”

“Do you remember Katja, the German with the bright red hair?”

“Of course.”

“She was found murdered a few nights ago, bullet to the middle of her forehead, dumped in the alley behind Bobby’s.”

“Oh my god,” Delphine covers her mouth in shock.

“This hard-ass detective, Arthur Bell, grilled me for like 5 hours the other day. The guy is relentless.”

“You were a suspect?”

“I guess, but I think they were questioning everyone in the area that she was known to have contact with.”

“You didn’t do it, did you?”

“Come on, Frenchie, you know me better than that. I’m no killer. Besides, they caught the culprit last night and you are never gonna believe who did it.”

“Who?”

“Rachel freakin’ Duncan.”

“No way!”

“Yup, I swear. She confessed after they found strands of her hair on Katja’s fur coat.”

“Why’d Rachel kill her?”

“Apparently they got in a little dispute over territory.”

“Little? Sounds like a lot more than a little if it ended in murder. Sarah,” Delphine gasps, “you always start up with her, that could have been you.”

“Relax, that bitch would never have gotten the best of me. I’m totally fine. And so are you by the looks of it. I think living the wealthy life suits you.”

“I’m not living the wealthy life.”

“Could have fooled me. So whatcha been up to this week, things going good with… what’s her name anyway?”

“Her name is Cosima and things are going fine. We’ve just been spending time together, attending some of her work functions.”

“And what does this Cosima do for a living that she’s treating you like the Queen of England.”

“She’s a scientist.”

“I’m sorry, did you say nerd?”

“Sarah,” Delphine reprimands, “she’s very smart.”

“Based on how you said smart, I’m guessing she’s one of those deceptively hot nerds.”

“Yes,” Delphine nods, “she’s very hot. You know, I think you’d like her. She’s got dreadlocks, a nose ring, tattoos, these cute cat eye shaped eyeglasses, and a really cool fashion sense. Oh,” Delphine whips out her phone and swipes through a few photos, “here she is,” she shows Sarah a photo of Cosima in the bounce house. “She’s really great with kids. And she’s so funny, often not even intentionally, she just says whatever is on her mind. And she’s very thoughtful, just a genuinely good person, always helping others.”

“You’re really stuck on this girl, huh,” Sarah observes.

“What? I’m not stuck, I’m just telling you what she’s like.”

“Yeah and you’re grinning like an absolute fool as you do it. Holy shite,” Sarah sits up straight, “did you kiss her?”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Did you kiss Cosima on the lips?”

“I, erm, well, you see, we were in San Francisco last night and, merde, yes, I kissed her.”

“I fuckin’ knew it!”

“Sarah,” Delphine looks around at the other guests by the pool, “keep your voice down.”

“You broke your own rule, Frenchie, this is major. So what happens next?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you two going steady or something?”

“Don’t be silly, nothing happens next other than tomorrow we go our separate ways. She goes home to San Francisco and I go back to picking up after you in Hollywood.”

“You are not going back to Hollywood looking like that.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You look so classy in those expensive threads. I mean, it suits you, but you will not fit in on the boulevard looking like that, not that you ever really did. I always knew, sooner or later, you were gonna move on to better things.”

“Better things?”

“Yeah, something where you can use that big brain of yours. You’re the only working girl I know who comes back from a night on the streets and reads 5 chapters of some boring ass book.”

“My books are not boring.”

“Maybe not to you. My point is, you’ve got science girl now who you can geek out with and kiss on the lips, why would you want to go back to the life?”

“Because this was just a job and tomorrow it ends and she’ll be heading back home to San Francisco and I’m going back to our apartment.”

“I bet she’s just as crazy about you as you are about her.”

“I’m not crazy about her.”

“Sure.”

“And what makes you say that anyway, you don’t even know her?”

“There was a picture on your phone, right before the one where she was bouncing with that kid, I think she might have been naked or something, anyway, I caught a quick glimpse of her eyes, and if that look wasn’t the look of total and complete adoration then I don’t know what is.”

“That’s ridiculous, there’s no way you could have seen that in the second it took me to swipe through the photos.”

“Okay, was she naked in any of those photos?”

“Maybe.”

“Delphine, the fact that you even have photos of this girl on your phone is all the proof I need that you are totally into her. How many johns have you taken pictures of? I bet she has photos of you on her phone, too, doesn’t she?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re such a shitty liar.”

“Sarah, this is just a job, a job that’ll be over very soon. Period. End of story.”

“Okay, whatever you say, Frenchie. Hey, it just occurred to me that now you’re Frenchie in more ways than one.”

“Shut up. Please just make sure you give S the money tonight, I don’t want to come back to find an eviction notice taped to the door.”

“I will, I promise. Now can we order some of this fancy shit,” Sarah peruses the menu, “I’m starving.”

Marion steps outside the conference room, “Cosima, Aldous, we’re ready to reveal the results of the vote.” They follow her back in. “You both left us with some very interesting arguments to ponder. I think we can all agree the monetary potential with this drug is quite extraordinary and not something easily dismissed. With that being said, Cosima, you gave a very powerful argument for the value of morality and, in this day and age, that’s a very rare commodity. As you are both well aware, it takes 8 votes to secure a final decision, however, this vote was unanimous. I am very happy to announce that distribution for drug 324b21, which will now require an official street name, has been awarded to Hendrix Pharmaceuticals.”

“Holy watershed!” Cosima exclaims, jumping out her seat. “Thank you all so much!”

“You have got to be kidding me? This is insane, you’ve all gone insane. You’ve just cost this company half a billion dollars.”

“I’m sorry, Aldous, we don’t see it that way. We hope that this decision will set a precedent in this industry to value people over profit.”

“I think we should call the Hendrixes and give them the good news.”

“I cannot bear to be a party to a call with those buffoons,” Aldous spits before storming out.

Marion dials them up on speakerphone, “Cosima, would you like to do the honors?”

“Absolutely!”

“Hello?”

“Hey, is this Alison?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Hi, this is Cosima. Is Donnie with you?”

“Donnie, Cosima is on the line, come here… He’s with me now.”

“Great, well, I just called to say that we really appreciated your interest in distributing my drug, but, as you know, we had many other offers and it was a really difficult decision.”

“Yes, we knew it was a long shot.”

“Yeah, it was, and, in the end, the board decided that distribution rights be awarded to Hendrix Pharmaceuticals.”

“I see, that’s too bad… wait, Hendrix Pharmaceuticals? That’s us. Donnie, that’s us.”

“Cosima are you saying—”

“I’m saying, congratulations! I am so happy to be entrusting this drug to you and I look forward to working together.”

“Oh, Judas Priest, I think I’m going to pass out.”

“Breathe, Ali,” Donnie tries to calm his wife. “Cosima, thank you!”

“Yes, Cosima, thank you, this is incredible. I’m at a loss for words and I am never at a loss for words.”

“It’s true, she always has plenty of words.”

“Well, look, you guys take the time to process this news. Adele is going to draw up the contract and get it over to you Monday. We’ll talk again then.”

“Sounds good.”

“Yes, thank you, Cosima. We look forward to speaking to you then.”

“Have a great weekend.”

“Oh we will. You do the same.”

“Thank you, bye.”

“Bye,” Alison hangs up, looks at Donnie, and then they break into a bizarre celebratory twerk session.

Cosima picks up her phone and calls Martin to come get her.

“Cosima, before you go, we need you to complete and sign a few documents so Adele can draw up the agreement.”

“With pleasure!”

Delphine picks up the phone and dials down to room service, “Hi, this is Delphine Cormier in the penthouse, can you please send up a bottle of that red wine Cosima likes along with an order of chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate truffles? Thank you.”

Cosima finishes signing the document, “Is that all?”

“For now. I’m glad we finally have a name for the drug. It will sound a lot better in the press release than that placeholder tag.”

“Definitely. Marion, thank you so much,” Cosima hugs her.

“Please, we should be thanking you. The decision today was the right one, but none of this would even be possible without you. Go on, have a terrific night.”

“Thanks,” Cosima runs out of the office. The elevator takes way too long, so she hurries down the stairwell and outside where Martin is waiting.

“Did everything go well?”

“So well,” she exclaims.

“I’m happy to hear that. To the hotel, I presume?”

“Actually we need to make a stop, do you know any good florists around here?”

Room service arrives, Delphine has the waiter place the treats on the coffee table in the media room, then she hands him a tip, “Thank you.” The room phone rings and Delphine answers, “Hello?”

“Ms. Cormier, this is Raj, a Mr. Aldous Leekie is here to see Ms. Niehaus. Shall I let him up?”

“Yes, thank you.”

A couple minutes later, there’s a knock at the door.

“Hello, Mr. Leekie,” Delphine greets as she opens the door.

“Please, call me Aldous.”

“Okay, Aldous. Wasn’t Cosima with you at the meeting?”

“No, I’m afraid Cosima stopped being with me several days ago,” he walks in past Delphine and heads straight for the bar.

“I don’t follow.”

He fills a glass with vodka and takes a sip, “I’m actually here to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know what’s so special about you that Cosima would throw away everything we’ve worked so hard for.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t act so innocent, Delphine. I know you’re the reason Cosima killed the Kellerman deal and convinced the board to partner with Hendrix.”

“They did?” she asks with a mixture of surprise and elation.

“Yes, they did.”

“Oh, well, I’m sorry this has upset you so much, but Cosima did what she felt was right.”

“Upset me?” he laughs. “This has more than upset me. What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” he pounds back the contents of the glass, slams it down on the counter, and stalks towards Delphine. “Come on, Delphine, you’re a hooker,” Delphine tries to mask her surprise that he knows her profession, “you’re always looking for the next score. Was this the way you ingratiated yourself to Cosima, by appealing to her altruism?”

“I did nothing of the sort. Cosima is more than capable of making her own decisions. I really think you should leave.”

“No, I’m not ready to leave quite yet. What is it they call you in French, fille de joie? You’ve clearly brought Cosima plenty of joy, so what can you do for me?”

“Delphine,” Cosima enters the suite holding a bouquet of flowers, “Guess wha-”, she freezes when she sees Leekie cornering Delphine. “Leekie, what the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m just having a friendly conversation with your fuck buddy.”

“Shut your mouth,” Cosima drops the bouquet and rushes towards Leekie. “You have no right to come in here and disrespect my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend?” Leekie laughs. “She's a two-bit whore you picked up off the street to screw.”

“Don't you dare talk about Delphine like that.”

“What's the matter, Cosima, does the truth hurt? You fell for a gold-digging slut who doesn't care about anything other than the size of your bank account.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Cosima shouts.

“I’ve got plenty of money in my bank account,” he strokes Delphine’s face and she winces under his touch, “why don’t you come with me? I hear you like fast cars, let me take you for a ride.”

“Get your fucking hands off of her,” Cosima pulls him away from Delphine, then knees him in the nuts. She uses all her strength to push him towards the door, “Get out!”

“I made you what you are, you can’t just dismiss me.”

“No, you exploited my talents to make yourself rich and you don't give a damn about the cost to anybody else. I can, and I will, dismiss you and I have the board on my side now. Delcor is my drug. I spent years developing it, I own the patent, and you thought you would make a fortune off of it. Well, guess what? You were wrong. It’s been awarded to Hendrix and there’s nothing you can do about it. Why don’t you go home and cry alone in your multi-million dollar mansion. You're done, Leekie, you'll never see another penny from my work ever again.”

“You’ll regret this,” he warns.

“The only thing I regret is ever getting involved with you,” she slams the door in his face and rushes over to Delphine. “Are you alright, did he hurt you?”

Delphine shakes her head, “No, I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look okay.”

“How should I look, Cosima? He came in here and started making accusations and saying terrible things about me being a hooker. I can’t believe you told him, why did you do that?”

“He was accusing you of being a corporate spy the other day at the park and I said it to shut him up.”

“That’s how you shut someone up? You couldn’t just ignore him, walk away?”

“I know, okay, it was dumb. I’m sorry.”

“Why’d you call me your girlfriend?”

“Aren't you?”

“Only when we’re pretending. What was the point of telling him that when he already knew the truth?”

“Because we’re not pretending anymore.”

“I am not your girlfriend, Cosima. I think I need to leave.”

“Leave? Why?”

“I can’t do this anymore.”

“Can’t do what?”

“This,” she gestures between them, “this whole thing with you. It’s too much.”

“Too much? What does that even mean? What about everything that happened last night? You kissed me on the lips, we made love.”

“I got carried away, I never should have kissed you. And as far as making love, that was sex, same as we’ve been doing all along.”

“No, it was different and you know it. And don’t even pretend all those other times this week meant nothing to you, because I know that’s not true.”

“Sex is my job, Cosima, what about that don’t you understand?”

“So you feel nothing for me?”

“I was playing a part, pretending to be who you wanted me to be. You needed me to care about you, so that’s what I did.”

“Oh, I needed you to care about me, huh? None of that was of your own accord?”

“Look, I like you, Cosima, you’re nice and fun to be around, but that’s it.”

“I don’t understand where this is coming from. He comes in here and is an asshole and now you’re just going to throw away everything we’ve built this week?”

“We built a fake relationship. That’s all it was and all it’s ever going to be.”

“That’s bullshit!” Cosima shouts.

“I have to go,” Delphine heads to the bedroom and Cosima scoops the bouquet off the floor and rushes after her.

Delphine starts throwing her clothing into shopping bags. “I got these for you,” Cosima extends the flowers, “they’re—”

“Delphinium, I know.” Delphine doesn’t take the flowers and continues packing, then stops abruptly. “What am I doing? These clothes aren’t even mine.”

“Yes, they are,” Cosima insists. “Please keep them.”

Delphine nods, “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” Cosima puts the flowers down on the bed, “This is so not how I imagined this afternoon would go. The entire board voted in favor of Hendrix and all I wanted was to come back here and tell you about it.”

“I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah, you seem thrilled. But that’s not the only reason I was excited to see you. I told you earlier that I needed to talk to you, I’ve been trying to tell you something for the last couple of days, actually.” Cosima stops and stares at Delphine, who’s folding a pair of jeans and placing them in her bag, “You know, this would be a lot easier if you would just look at me.”

Delphine stops packing and glances up at Cosima.

“I love you, Delphine.”

Delphine’s heart stops, “You love me?”

“Yes.”

“You love a hooker you picked up on Hollywood Boulevard six days ago?”

“Yes.”

“No,” Delphine shakes her head, “you don't love me, Cosima. You were lonely and you needed someone to make you feel better while you were in town dealing with people you despise. This was about sex, the world’s greatest distraction.”

“Regardless of how this started, there's more between us than just sex. You kissed me on the lips, Delphine. I know what that means to you. Why'd you do that if this wasn't more to you than sex, if you didn’t love me, too?”

“Because you paid me a lot of money.”

“You kissed me for the money? I don't believe that.”

“Believe whatever you want.”

“I felt it, Delphine. And not just last night. Every moment we’ve spent together, I’ve felt this connection between us and it’s only gotten stronger. And if this really means nothing to you, then why’d you cry last night? And don’t tell me you cry after sex with boys, too, cause I’m not buying it.”

“I told you, I got carried away. We had been drinking and I wasn’t thinking clearly, I said things I shouldn’t have said.”

“No, Delphine, I think you were perfectly clear-headed. And so am I. I love you and I want us to be together. Please stay.”

“You want me because you're lonely.”

“No, I want you because I'm not lonely, maybe for the first time in my life. Yesterday, on the beach, what I was trying to say about us being friends was that I feel like we started with this solid foundation that we built upon throughout the week, that this was more than sex. I was going to ask you to be with me, for real. And then Tony called and we went to San Francisco and it was like everything I was thinking and feeling, you were feeling, too. When you kissed me, I felt like I was dreaming, because I’ve had that exact dream every night since we met.”

“Cosima—”

“Come with me. You can start over, we can have a life together.”

“Come with you? Back to San Francisco? Are you confusing the lie you told the Kellermans with reality?”

“It was a lie then, but it doesn’t have to be one now. You could get a job, go to medical school if you want, live a better life.”

“A better life?”

“You don’t want to do this the rest of your life, you said so yourself. Come with me and start over.”

“You want me to come back there and be with you?”

“Yes.”

“And then what, Cosima? Are you going to tell your family and friends how we met?”

“We met because I was lost and you helped me find my way.”

“Cosima, you know that’s not what I meant.”

“It’s true though.”

“And what about the rest? When they find out that I was a hooker you picked up on Hollywood Boulevard, will they treat me like he did?”

“Come on, you met my friends, you know they’re not like that. My friends and family aren’t assholes like Leekie, they’re not going to judge you. And I’m done with him, you’ll never see him again.”

“Cosima, no, you can’t destroy your career because of me, because of what he did.”

“After what he said to you, how could I ever work with him again? And I’m not destroying anything. I’m the science, he’s just a mouthpiece. He’s nothing without me. I made him a very rich man and now he can retire and live in his fancy house and drive his fancy cars until he dies. The board is willing to do things my way now. This is my time to start over doing exactly what I want on my terms. And I want you to be a part of my new life,” Cosima grabs Delphine’s hands.

“Cosima, what we had this week, it was amazing. You gave me more than anybody in my life ever has, but this wasn’t real life. We could try to make it work, but one day you’ll realize I’m not enough for you, I’m not the type of girl you should be with.”

“Stop selling yourself short, you are exactly the type of girl I should be with. You make me happy, Delphine, happier than I’ve been in a really long time. Hell, happier than I’ve ever been. And you helped me have the courage to stand up for what I believe is right. For so long, I let Leekie and the rest of them make huge profits off of my work when I knew it was wrong. And I’ve lived off that greed for a long time. But I’m done, from now on, I do what I want to do with my drugs. Alison and Donnie, they’re a little nuts, but they have good intentions. I’m planning to discuss a longer distribution partnership with them. This is the start of something good and I want you with me as I begin this new phase of my life. Our life.”

“I’m sorry, Cosima,” she pulls her hands away, “it won’t work.”

“Why are you giving up on us before we’ve even had a chance? Isn’t what we have worth trying?”

“I can’t,” Delphine shakes her head, “I can’t risk it. I can’t risk being your mistake.”

“You’re not a mistake. If you’re not comfortable with who you are, that’s your issue, not mine.”

“It will be your issue, Cosima, why can’t you see that? You can’t lie to everybody about who I am. You defied Leekie today, don’t you think he’ll retaliate, tell everyone about us, try to embarrass you?”

“Let him tell whoever the hell he wants, I don’t care and neither should you. I’m not embarrassed by you, if anything, you make me so much better than I was. And your life doesn’t need to be defined by what you used to do. And sure, we met in an unconventional way, but I am so grateful that we did. You know who you are? You are the most incredible woman I have ever met. And you can do great things with your life, if you’d just believe in yourself. Everybody has a past, Delphine, but you can’t let that dictate your entire life. I don’t care about anything you did prior to getting in that car with me. And since that moment, all I know is that you have made me feel things that I’ve never felt about anybody.”

“Because you paid me to.”

“No, don’t try to make this about money, this is so much more than that.”

“Is it? Is it really? How do you know I won’t leave you for the next person that offers me $15,000 to fuck them for a week?”

“Stop.”

“Stop what? Is that not what happened?”

“We made a connection from that first night, don’t deny it.”

“A monetary connection,” Delphine spits as she exits the bedroom.

“That’s not true,” Cosima follows after her, “it was more than that.”

Delphine stops in the foyer, “Then why’d you offer to pay me $15,000 for the week, why didn’t you just ask me to stay?”

“Would you have?”

“I guess we’ll never know.”   
“What I do know is that last night, when we made love, it felt like I was finally home.”

“You were home.”

“That’s not what I meant. You felt like home, Delphine. With you, I feel safe and comfortable and loved. You felt it with me, too, don’t deny it.”

“I got caught up, in everything, in you, in this life, and I shouldn’t have let myself go there with you.”

“You shouldn’t have let yourself feel? You can’t shut yourself off from every emotion, Delphine, that’s not going to work. You’ve let down all your walls with me, and last night was the culmination of everything we’ve both been feeling and experiencing since we met and it was incredible. We can have everything together, all the time, if you’ll just come with me.”

“You want to save me, Cosima, but I don’t need saving. I’m not some princess up in a tower waiting to be rescued.”

“I’m not trying to save you, I just don’t want to lose you.”

“I was never yours to lose.”

“Why are you being like this?”

“Being like what?”

“So cold.”

“I’m not being cold, Cosima, I’m being honest. This thing between us, it’s not real, okay? It was a fantasy and now we both need to get back to reality. Separately.”

Cosima’s head drops and she slowly nods before walking over and unlocking the safe. She removes an envelope and hands it to Delphine as her eyes well up with tears, “I’ll miss you.”

Delphine runs her hand along Cosima’s cheek, brushing away the tears that have fallen before lifting her glasses slightly and wiping away the fresh tears bubbling up, “Bye.”

“Bye,” Cosima sniffs back.

Delphine grabs her bags and walks out of the penthouse, closing the door behind her. She pauses, facing the door wistfully, her hand still gripping the door knob. “I’ll miss you, too,” she whispers before letting go, turning, and walking towards the elevator.

When she gets down to the lobby, she spots Felix by the front desk. “Felix,” she taps him on the shoulder.

Felix takes one look at her face and knows something is up, “Darling, what’s wrong? What’s with all the baggage?”

“I’m leaving.”

“Leaving? But I thought you were planning a celebration?”

“There’s been a change in plans. I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you for everything you did for me this week.”

“It was my pleasure.” He looks around, “Cosima?”

“She’s going back home to San Francisco.”

“Alone?”

“Yes, Felix, alone.”

“Well this is certainly not how I thought this story would end.”

“And how did you think this would end? With the scientist and the prostitute riding off into the sunset to live happily ever after?”

“No,” he states emphatically, “I thought it would end with Cosima and Delphine riding off into the sunset to live happily ever after. I am your fairy godfather, after all, that’s how it’s supposed to happen.”

“I guess you thought wrong.”

“I suppose so,” he frowns. “Let me have Martin drive you home.”

“No, thank you, I can take the bus.”

“No, I insist. Martin,” he waves the driver over, “please take Ms. Cormier’s bags to the car and take her anywhere she needs to go.”

“Yes, sir,” Martin takes her things.

“Thank you, Felix.”

“You’re welcome, darling, and don’t hesitate to drop by and say hello if you’re ever in the neighborhood.”

Delphine hugs him tightly, then places a kiss to both his cheeks before turning and exiting the hotel.

“Where to?” Martin asks.

“I’m going home, back to Hollywood. Corner of Yucca and Las Palmas.”

“You got it.”

Delphine looks back at the hotel longingly as they drive away. Once the hotel is out of sight, she pulls out her phone and opens up her Cosima album. She swipes through the photos with a mournful smile as tears slowly fall from her eyes.

Cosima sits on the floor of the hotel room almost catatonic as she stares at the back of the door. The ringing of her phone pulls her out of her trance and she jumps up to go grab it. All hope drains from her face when she reads the caller ID: Leekie.

“Fuck you,” she shouts at the phone before throwing it against the nearest wall, shattering it. She looks around the large, empty space, finally noticing the wine and chocolates sitting on the coffee table. She sinks to her knees in tears as deep, guttural sobs burst from the pit of her stomach.

Eventually, as the sun sets, she gets up and trudges to the bedroom. Stopping at the entryway, she stares solemnly at the bed. Unable to physically allow herself to step further inside, she turns and walks back through the living room and out onto the balcony. She sits down in a chair and looks out over the darkened cityscape towards the barely visible Hollywood sign.

She remains like that the entire night.


	8. I Left My Heart...

At daybreak, Cosima solemnly trudges into the bedroom and packs her bags to return home to San Francisco. As she empties the drawers, she finds a plastic bag with the hotel’s name on it. She reaches into the bag and pulls out Delphine’s paint covered slip. She holds the garment up to her face, the smell of dried paint mingling with a scent that’s distinctly Delphine. Tears begin to fall again as she remembers that night. She quickly wipes her eyes and shoves the lingerie back in the bag and places it in her luggage.

As Cosima checks out of the hotel, Felix comes up behind her, whispering in her ear, “She loves you, you know?”

Cosima turns to face him, “I love her, too.”

“Then fight for her.”

“She doesn’t want me to. I asked her to come with me and she refused. I can’t force her to do something she doesn’t want to do.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“You want me to try and force her?”

“No, I don’t believe she doesn’t want to. I just don’t think she believes she’s worthy of love.”

“I don’t know what she believes, Felix. And I don’t think there’s anything I can do to change her mind.”

“You can go after her,” Felix suggests.

“And do what? Climb up the fire escape to her apartment with a bouquet of flowers, profess my undying love, beg her to be mine? I tried that already, I laid my heart on the line and she made it very clear that’s not what she wants.”

“There has to be a way to get through to her.”

“I wish there was, I really do. Unfortunately, I have a flight to catch and a life to get back to.”

Felix nods, “Martin is waiting outside to drive you to the airport.”

“Thank you,” Cosima extends the handle of her suitcase and begins rolling it towards the exit.

“You know, Martin drove Delphine home yesterday.”

Cosima pauses, “Goodbye, Felix.”

“Goodbye, Cosima.” Felix watches, despondently, as Cosima leaves the hotel.

“I gotta admit, Frenchie, I’m surprised to see you back here,” Sarah states as Delphine places breakfast in front of her.

“Why’s that?”

“Your science girlfriend. When I saw you yesterday, I was sure she wouldn’t let you go.”

“Sarah, that’s crazy. Let me go?”

“Yes, let you get away, never to be seen again.”

“It would never work between us. She’s a brilliant, successful scientist and I’m a prostitute.”

“Did she say she was embarrassed by your profession?”

“No.”

“Did she make you feel like you weren’t on her level.”

“No.”

“Did she want you to stay.”

“Yes.”

“I fuckin’ knew it!”

“Sarah.”

“Don’t Sarah me. You walked away from something good because you’re ashamed of this, of yourself, of your life. But she’s obviously not.”

“She says that now, but when people in her life find out what I am, she’s going to change her tune.”

“That’s your insecurity, not hers.”

“You weren’t there, Sarah, you didn’t see what happened. Her business partner, he was enraged about a deal that didn’t go as he planned. He blamed me. She had told him I was a prostitute and he said such horrible things to me, made gross insinuations.”

“Who was this creep? He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

“No, Cosima walked in before he tried anything. She was enraged at his behavior and severed their working relationship. Kicked him in the balls and threw him out, actually,” Delphine laughs. “She’s this tiny thing, but you’d never know it from how she handled him.”

“Right on! Sounds like she was defending your honor because she cares about you. Why would you leave after that?”

“Because she shouldn’t have had to fight with him over me. I’m not worth jeopardizing her career over. She is doing such great things for the world and this, me and her, this isn’t good for her life.”

“Sounds like you made a decision for the both of you, which isn’t what either of you really wanted. And what makes you think you’re not worth it? Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

“Yes, why?”

“Because this Delphine is not the same Delphine who got in that car last week. You took off your wig, let your true self out for the first time in a long time. And that’s my fault, I got you into this life.”

“No, Sarah, I’m a big girl, I made my own choices.”

“You’re so much better than this, Frenchie. This life, this isn’t who you are. You’re so damn smart about everything, except relationships. And, hey, I’m not much better, but you found something real with someone good. You kissed her on the lips for fuck’s sake. Why’d you do that?”

“I don’t know. She treated me like I was a person and not an object. She made me feel like I was interesting and funny and beautiful. She is so sweet and so caring and she looked at me like I was the the most fascinating and desirable woman in the world. She just made me so happy and, I don’t know, I couldn’t help myself.” Delphine looks up at Sarah, who’s grinning at her, “What?”

“Happy. That’s a word I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use to describe yourself before,” Sarah observes. “Hey, tell me something, what’s the first word that comes to mind when you think of Cosima?”

“Love,” Delphine whispers instantly.

“What’s that? I couldn’t hear you.”

“Love!” Delphine shouts. “I love her.”

Sarah smiles, “Finally.”

“Merde,” Delphine drops her face in her hands, “I love her and I left her. I am such an idiot.”

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up,” Sarah agrees.

“I said some really horrible things to her to push her away. How can I love her and be such a bitch towards her?”

“You were scared, we do and say some stupid shit when we’re scared. But you need to tell her how you really feel.”

“What if she won’t forgive me?”

“You won’t know unless you try.”

“Right,” Delphine grabs her phone and dials Cosima.

“Hey, this is Cosima,” the voicemail immediately picks up, “do that thing you do after the beep.”

Delphine hangs up, “Her phone went straight to voicemail.” She dials again and again, with the same result. “I, I need to go,” Delphine runs to get her purse. “Here,” she hands Sarah an envelope.

“What’s this?”

“$15,000.”

“Whah?” Sarah eyes pop as she opens the envelope, “Holy shite!”

“It’s what she gave me for the week. I want you to get out of here, out of this life. Go see Felix at the Beverly Wilshire, tell him I sent you. He’s British, like you, I think you’d hit off. He’ll help you. You need to clean yourself up, Sarah, then maybe Cal will let you back in Kira’s life.”

“Thank you,” Sarah tears up, touched by this incredible gesture. “What are you gonna do?”

“Find the girl I love.” Delphine dips her hand in the envelope and pulls out $700, “I might need this.”

“Good luck, Frenchie.”

“Merci,” Delphine embraces Sarah tightly before running out of their apartment.

Delphine hails a cab, “Beverly Wilshire Hotel.” As they drive, Delphine gets more and more impatient at every light, “Come on, come on.”

Finally, after what seems like hours, but is only about 35 minutes, the cab stops in front of the hotel. “That’ll be $60,” the driver announces.

“Here’s $100, keep the change,” Delphine slaps the money in his hand and rushes out of the cab and into the hotel.

As she’s running towards the elevator, Felix spots her, “Delphine.”

“Can’t talk now, Felix, I need to see Cosima.”

“Wait, Delphine, you can’t.”

“Oh, no key card, right. Please just send me up.”

“No, it’s not that. She’s gone,” he announces, causing Delphine to stop dead in her tracks. “Cosima left. She’s at the airport, Martin just got back from taking her.”

“No, I need to catch her,” Delphine cries. “I need to apologize, tell her how I really feel.”

“Okay, darling, I’ll have Martin drive you to the airport, but you could be too late, her flight leaves in an hour.”

“I have to try, Felix, you were right.” The look in Delphine’s eyes melts his heart.

“I know,” Felix rubs her shoulders. “Martin, you’ve got another passenger to LAX.”

“LAX? She didn’t take the jet?”

“Not this time. Go on, Delphine, the clock is ticking.”

“Thank you,” Delphine hugs him before rushing towards Martin. She spins back around when she reaches the door. “Felix, my friend, Sarah Manning, if she comes by, please help her.”

“You got it, darling. Now go get your happy ending.” Delphine smiles at him before rushing outside.

Martin opens the back door of the limo for Delphine, “Actually, Martin, why don’t you sit back here?”

“Excuse me?”

“We’re in a bit of a rush and, well, you’re not exactly Mario Andretti.”

“But that’s not protocol.”

“Martin, I need to get to Cosima before she leaves, so either get in the back seat or get out of my way.”

“Yes ma’am, but I think I’ll ride shotgun.” Martin closes the door and rushes to let Delphine in the driver’s seat, before quickly running around to hop in the passenger seat.

Delphine floors it, peeling away from the curb and speeding towards the 405. After getting on the freeway, Delphine works her way around traffic, glancing at the clock. “What time was Cosima’s flight?”

“10:55.”

“Merde. Hold on,” she kicks the limo into high hear, putting the pedal to the metal and quickening the car’s pace.

“Delphine?”

“I’m sorry about the speed, Martin, I just really need to get to the airport.”

“No, the speed is fine, I just wanted you to know that, observing you and Cosima this week, I think you’re really perfect for one another.”

Delphine glances at Martin with a soft smile on her lips, “Thank you.”

“And if it makes you feel any better, she was quite miserable this morning.”

“No, that doesn’t make me feel better, actually, but I appreciate the intent.”

“Terminal 3,” Martin announces as they arrive at LAX. Delphine stops along the curb. “She’s on Virgin America, flight 927.”

“Thank you.”

“Good luck,” he calls out as she jumps out of the car and rushes into the airport.

After a quick scan of the departures board, she rushes in the direction of the gate, getting stopped by a TSA agent, “Boarding pass and ID?”

“I’m not flying today, I just need to get to gate 32. Please let me through.”

“Sorry, no ticket, no gate.”

“Seriously?” He doesn’t budge so Delphine runs over to the Virgin America counter. “I need a ticket.”

“A ticket where?” the confused agent asks.

“On flight 927.”

“Flight 927 is completely booked. It also leaves in about 10 minutes.”

“Then give me one for the next flight to San Francisco, please just hurry.”

“ID?”

Delphine hands over her license.

“Window or aisle?”

“I don’t care,” Delphine groans, “I just need to go.”

“That’ll be $289.”

Delphine hands over the cash and the attendant gives her change and her boarding pass, which Delphine grabs and runs off. This time the TSA agent allows her to pass. The security line is long and Delphine keeps glancing at her watch, bouncing nervously. Finally she gets through and races through the terminal, looking for gate 32. She finally spots it and runs over.

“I need to get to someone on this flight,” Delphine yells at the desk attendant.

“I’m sorry, the plane just pulled away from the gate.”

“What?” Delphine looks at the clock, it’s 10:57. “No, this can’t be happening,” she shouts.

“Did you have a ticket for this flight?”

“No, I have one for,” she glances at her boarding pass, “12:45.”

“Then I suggest you take the time to calm down, maybe go get something to eat.”

Delphine skulks over to the window and looks out at the planes taking off. Thoughts of what to do next run through her head. Is it too late? Was she too cruel yesterday? Would Cosima even want her anymore? Her forehead drops against the glass, tears falling down her cheeks as she completely zones out, losing track of the time as her mind is unable to focus on anything other than Cosima, the guilt at what she said yesterday eating away at her.

“This is the last call for flight 231 to San Francisco,” a voice announces. “Delphine Cormier, if you’re in the vicinity, please proceed to gate 33.”

At the sound of her name, Delphine snaps out of her haze, a bizarre sense of clarity washing over her. “That’s me,” she shouts as she hurries towards the gate waving her boarding pass. “I’m Delphine Cormier. Mon dieu, I’m Delphine Cormier.”

“Okay, well congratulations, then,” the attendant gives her the side-eye, “they were about to take off without you.”

“No, you don’t understand, I’m Delphine Cormier.”

“I’m sorry, Miss, are you well?”

“Yes, I’m very well,” Delphine grins as she boards the plane.

Delphine takes her seat and the plane takes off, the smile plastered on her lips never faltering the entire flight.

After landing at SFO, Delphine makes her way on the BART into town, getting off at the same stop she and Cosima exited on Friday night. She hurries off the train, runs up the steps and through the streets of San Francisco before coming to a stop in front of a familiar firehouse.

She pounds on the door and yells, “Cosima! Cosima, open up!” There’s no answer. She puts her ear to the door and hears loud music. She looks over at the dalmatian statue and takes a second to contemplate her actions before lifting his little fire hat and grabbing the spare key. Delphine unlocks the door and lets herself in. “Cosima,” she shouts over the music. There’s no response. She takes a moment to listen to the song playing and laughs.

_Reason will not lead to solution_  
_I will end up lost in confusion_  
_I don't care if you really care_  
_As long as you don't go_

_So I cry, I pray, and I beg_

_Love me, love me_  
_Say that you love me_  
_Fool me, fool me_  
_Go on and fool me_  
_Love me, love me_

Delphine goes over to the stereo and pushes the power button, the music instantly cutting off to the entire house.

“What the hell!” Cosima shouts from upstairs when the music stops. She grabs a lightsaber and slides down the pole to check out what’s going on. Landing at the bottom, she looks up to see Delphine standing in front of her.

“I like the song choice,” Delphine starts.

“It brings back good memories.”

Delphine smiles and nods her agreement, “Very good memories.”

“Delphine, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, well, I realized I didn’t get to ride the trolley last time I was here so I thought I’d come back and see if you’d want to join me. Are you going to use that on me? You know it’s not a fair fight if I’m unarmed.”

“Sorry, I thought you were a burglar and this was the only weapon I had handy.” She puts the lightsaber down. “Why are you really here?”

“I tried calling you first, but your phone kept going to voicemail.”

“Oh, yeah, I kinda broke my phone into 11 million pieces.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

“Does that mean you lost all those stupid photos of me?”

“No way, that’s why the cloud was invented. I just need to go get a new phone. Fuck, I’d be an even bigger mess right now if I lost all those.” Delphine can’t hold back a small smile at those words. “Please, continue with your story,” Cosima implores.

“After I couldn’t reach you on the phone, I went to the hotel and Felix told me you had left already. He let me take the limo so I could try to catch you at the airport. I even drove because you know how slow Martin is, always obeying the speed limit. They made me buy a ticket to get to the gate, but I ended up missing your flight by two minutes. You had to actually be on time for something, today of all days, didn’t you?”

“Sorry about that.”

“So I took the next flight and here I am.”

“But why?”

“Because I realized I was being an idiot, walking away from you like that. And I am so sorry for everything I said to you yesterday, I didn’t mean any of it. I was just trying to push you away because I was ashamed of myself and I didn’t want my life choices to wreck yours. Actually, Sarah helped me see it, see that I was letting my fears and insecurities prevent me from being with the one person who has ever made me feel truly happy. I don’t care what anybody else thinks of me or my past, as long as you accept me, that’s all that matters. I want to be with you, Cosima. I want to live here in San Francisco and continue what we started. I want to make this relationship work. If you still want me, that is.”

“If I still want you?” Cosima asks incredulously. “You are all I want, Delphine. Hell, I think I blew on every dandelion I passed walking home from the BART station, praying that it wasn’t really over between us. But are you sure? You’re not gonna freak out on me again and change your mind?”

“No, I promise you, I am done freaking out. You know, when I missed your flight, I stood there, in the terminal, having this internal debate with myself about whether or not to get on that next flight, unsure of whether you’d even want me here, worried that you might hate me after everything I said to you yesterday.”

“I could never hate you, Delphine. I was upset and hurt, I was so hurt, but hating you,” she shakes her head, “that was never even in the realm of possibility.”

“You don’t know how glad I am to hear you say that,” Delphine smiles. “So, as I stood there, I had an epiphany that made me realize there was no question that this is where I had to be, that I belong with you.”

“Oh yeah? What was that?”

“I’m Delphine Cormier.”

“Uh huh, that’s some epiphany,” Cosima laughs.

“Delphine Cormier. Delcor. You named your drug after me,” Delphine bites her lip. “Unless that’s just some crazy coincidence.”

“Oh, that,” Cosima rubs the back of her neck. “Well, you see, I had to give it an official name yesterday when we signed the contract and I wanted it to be something really meaningful and special, because this is a big deal, not just for me but for all the people that will be helped by the drug. And when I thought of the most special thing in my life, and what inspired me to do the right thing and follow my heart, it was you, Delphine.”

Tears well up in Delphine’s eyes, “I’m the most special thing in your life?”

“Yes,” Cosima nods. “Well, you were until you walked out on me yesterday. Now I’m thinking of changing the name. Maybe I’ll choose something to honor Martin, he was a pretty great limo driver.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“I’m kidding, I wasn’t going to change it, even with the broken heart and all. Besides, it’s already in writing.”

“Good. Not about the broken heart part, but the drug name. I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

“Yeah, well, I think I cried enough tears last night to solve that whole drought problem in LA.”

“Yours and mine both.”

“I know you can’t see it, but as soon as I saw you standing here, my heart mended right up. I didn’t even need to invent a drug for that, you are all the drug I need.”

“Oh am I?”

“Mmmhmm,” Cosima nods.

“Delcor is already taken, what are you going to call me?”

“Oh, I don’t know, my girlfriend, Delphine, has a nice ring to it. I mean, it made me feel pretty good saying it all week.”

“That does sound good, just as long as I get a matching drug called my girlfriend, Cosima.”

“Oh, you will definitely get daily doses of that drug,” Cosima wraps her arms around Delphine’s neck and pulls herself up into a passionate kiss. “I missed that,” Cosima laments when they break for air.

Delphine boops Cosima’s nose with her own, “So did I.”

“Hey, you know, that’s the first time you’ve called me your girlfriend. I said it all the time, but you never did.”

“I guess I just didn’t want to say it until it was official, and I know I jumped down your throat about it yesterday, but every time you told someone I was your girlfriend, it made me feel so incredibly warm inside.”

“Hey, speaking of feeling warm inside, how would you feel about living in a firehouse?”

“What?”

“Move in with me.”

“You want me to live here with you?”

“Yeah, you have to live somewhere, don’t you?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little too soon to be moving in together?”

“We just shacked up for an entire week.”

“That was different.”

“Yeah, that was a lot more salacious. But it established that we cohabitate really well together, really, really well. I want to continue what we started.”

“Cosima, I can’t impose on you that way.”

“Yes, you can. I want to be imposed on. I’m tired of living alone. This week, being with you, I realized that I never want to be alone again. Alone is so overrated. I mean, who else is gonna slide down the pole with me?”

“I’ll come over and slide down the pole with you whenever you want, but I don’t have to be on top of you all the time.”

“I want you on top of me all the time.” Delphine giggles at what Cosima just said. “Ugh, I didn’t mean it like that. Actually, I kinda did. I don’t want anybody else on top of me.”

“I don’t want anyone else under me.”

“So does that mean you’ll move in?” Cosima asks hopefully.

“Yes,” Delphine concedes, “I’ll move in with you.”

“Woohoo!” Cosima jumps for joy. “Wait, if you’ll be living here in San Francisco with me, does that mean you won’t be attending Alison’s musical next weekend?”

“No, it means you’re coming back down there to see it with me.”

“Seriously?” Cosima whines.

“Yes, seriously. We need to celebrate properly and we should do it with them. And I am so sorry we didn’t celebrate yesterday. When Leekie told me that the board voted for Hendrix, I was so proud of you, Cosima, not that I ever doubted your ability to sway them.”

“I know, I saw the wine and chocolates.”

“I’m sorry I ruined such an important day for you.”

“Yeah, the end majorly sucked, but at least it started out pretty well.”

“It started out very well,” Delphine smiles.

“And, look, the ending may have been shitty, but if it got you here, with me, sure of what you want, then maybe it was worth it.”

“Not maybe, definitely. But how is this going to affect your career?”

“What do you mean?”

“When everyone in the industry finds out you’ve been seeing a lady of the night. Surely Leekie isn’t going to keep this quiet.”

“Oh, yes he will. Remember Mika?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, let’s just say she’s an extremely skilled hacker and very security conscious. She did extensive research and created dossiers on everybody working with us. She was concerned someone might leak, no pun intended, info about our drug development to the competition and wanted to have leverage on them to prevent this, which they were all made aware of. Leekie’s file is particularly large. There’s enough dirt in there that he would never be able to dig himself out from under. He’s not going to open his mouth.”

“That’s an enormous relief.”

“Delphine, even if she didn’t have that file, I wouldn’t care what he said. You are worth more to me than a spotless reputation. I just wouldn’t want him to hurt you or embarrass you.”

“After witnessing you put him in his place yesterday, I know that nobody could ever hurt me when I have you looking out for me.”

“Always.”

Delphine smiles and gives Cosima a little kiss. “Oh, and another reason we need to go back to LA, I sort of left all my clothing back there.”

“You can buy clothing here. I’ll take you shopping in the morning.”

“No, Cosima, I’ll wear the clothing you already bought me, but I’m going to start paying my own way, I'm not one of your charities. I’m going to look for work this week, after all, I need to start saving up if I’m going to afford med school.”

“Yeah?” Cosima grins.

Delphine nods, “You were right, I shouldn’t give up on my dreams. Any of my dreams.”

“That’s so great. I’ll help you with the job hunt.”

“Thank you. Which corner do you think I'd do best on around here?”

Cosima’s eyes bug out, “What?”

“Medical school isn’t cheap.”

“But Delphine—”

“I’m kidding,” Delphine laughs, “I have no intention of having sex with anybody ever again. Present company excluded.”

“That’s a relief.”

“But I don’t want you to think me being here has anything to do with money.”

“I would never think that, anyway you’ve got $15,000 now.”

“No, I’ve got $311.”

“What? How’s that possible?”

“I gave the rest to Sarah so she can get out of that life, make something of herself, maybe even be a mother again. Besides, I couldn’t keep that money for myself.”

“Why not?”

“Because I would have stayed without it.”

Cosima eyes light up, “You would have?”

“Yes,” Delphine nods. “I already told you I never cuddled a client like that, I usually can’t get out of bed fast enough. And, yes, you paid me for the whole night, but had it been anyone else, I would have tried much harder to stay as far away from them as possible through the night. But you made me feel so good, so safe and comfortable. Safe and comfortable are not words I’d ever use to describe how I felt in that line of work. You were so cute and charming and I just couldn’t help myself, I realized I liked having you in my arms. And then, in the morning, you ordered me breakfast and you said I was beautiful and I just about melted. You are so sweet, and have such a big heart, that I couldn’t help falling for you against my better judgement.”

“What’s your better judgement telling you now?”

“It’s telling me that I would be a complete imbecile not to follow my heart.” Tears fill her eyes, “Je t’aime.”

“I love you, too,” Cosima sniffles. “I can’t believe this is happening. Wait, is this really happening? How do I know my plane didn’t crash on the way back here and now I’ve died and gone to heaven?”

“If you’re in heaven, then so am I.”

“True. Okay, in that case, heaven ain’t so bad. Can we make one promise to each other, that whenever either of us gets moody or acts like a complete moron, we won’t walk out on the other, that we’ll stay and work it out, together?”

“I promise. After all, isn’t making up the best part?” Delphine grabs Cosima’s face and kisses her.

Eventually, they separate, their noses brushing gently, tears streaking both their faces, “I can’t believe you remembered where I live.”

“I was just here yesterday, Cosima. And I am very good with directions.”

“You sure are,” Cosima grins as she captures Delphine’s lips once again.


End file.
